What's New from Moors for the Future

Moors for the Future’s fifth Research Day will be held on Friday 20 June 2008
at the Agricultural Business Centre, Agricultural Way, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1AH. Places are strictly limited - booking essential.
View abstracts of research contributions
Programme and registration

Public lecture on wildfires at the University of Manchester Tuesday 24 June
‘Wildfires: An American perspective on a global issue’, Jim Smalley, National Fire Protection Association, USA, Tuesday 24th June, 5.10pm, University of Manchester. This evening lecture will take place after the second FIRES seminar, ‘The impact of wildfire on ecosystem services, relationships between climate change, wildfire and people’, sponsored by NERC, ESRC, Scottish Natural Heritage and The University of Manchester. The evening lecture is open to everyone.

A guide for Teachers and Group Leaders to the Outdoor Classroom
in the Peak District National Park

Fire seminars
A series of four seminars on the effects of moorland and heathland fires on ecosystem services will be held during 2008-2009. The seminars are funded jointly by ESRC and NERC as part of their transdisciplinary series on ecosystem services.

'Science Meets the Eye!'
Residents and visitors are invited to view some of the high profile research taking place in the Peak District National Park through the eyes of a new innovative art exhibition.

The touring exhibition features entries from the ‘Science Meets the Eye!' competition which took place as part of the Moors for the Future Partnership 2007 research conference to raise the profile of upland research in the Peak District National Park. 'Science Meets the Eye!' is a celebration of science through art with the aim of promoting science to a wider public.

The exhibition will tour through Peak District National Park visitor centres and other venues during 2008. Postcards of the winning entries will accompany the exhibition and be available to purchase.

Awards
Moors for the Future Partnership has recently received a prestigious award at the recent Friends of the Peak District / CPRE countryside awards ceremony. The judges recognised Moors for the Future's contribution over recent years to the conservation and understanding of Dark Peak moorland landscapes and expressed their concern that a way needs to be found to ensure that our valuable work continues into the future.

Our ‘Paws on the Moors’ initiative was highly commended at the Association of Heritage Interpretation Awards in November 2007. The judges recognised that: "Paws on the Moors' takes a refreshingly different approach to an issue which is often dealt with by restrictions and prohibitions. The project has clearly made good use of Kennel Club advice, and delivers clear messages in an engaging and entertaining way, using a mix of new technology and live performance skills.”

Moors for the Future hosts major conference on climate change
More than 100 delegates from science, policy and practice gathered at Losehill Hall to explore the consequences of climate change for our uplands. The ’Climate Change and Upland Management’ conference was opened by Aberdeen University’s Professor Pete Smith, a member of the Nobel prize-winning intergovernmental panel for climate change. Professor Smith said: “We must act swiftly and strongly to mitigate climate change - it will cost, but not as much as the cost of inaction.” He also emphasised the importance of conserving the greatest carbon stores in Britain: peatlands in the uplands.

Fred Worrall and Martin Evans from the Universities of Durham and Manchester asked whether peat is the new black gold. UK peat stores more carbon than forests of Britain and France combined, which equals about 20 years of the UK’s CO2 output.

Will land managers soon be ‘carbon managers?’ Natural England’s chief scientist Tom Tew chaired a discussion on new challenges and adaptations to climate change. Issues involve not only warmer temperatures, but increased wildfire risks, impacts on eco-systems, clean water, flood protection and wildlife conservation. More details: Aletta Bonn, 01629 816579.

Eight new podcast Audio Trails - with music, songs and historic narrative can now be downloaded onto MP3 players or mobile phones to add history and drama to themed walks in the Peak District National Park.

The latest in our series of research notes is now out - Carbon Flux.

HRH the Prince of Wales recently visited us at to find out first hand about the vital work of the Moors for the Future partnership and our role in helping combat flood-risks as well as climate-change. The Prince took part in a round-table discussion on moorland-management with some of our partners.

Former National Park Authority chair Tony Hams said: “It’s an huge honour that the Prince of Wales visited the Moorland Centre to learn at first hand about the important work of the National Park and its partners in Moors for the Future in moorland regeneration which has such an important impact on major issues such as flooding, climate-change and ecology.”

The £1m Moorland Centre - roofed with sedum turf and heated from the earth - was opened last year as both a visitor centre and the UK’s first moorland research base.

Calling all Sheffield teachers and group leaders! An exciting new learning base, the 'Moorland Discovery Centre' has recently opened at the National Trust's Longshaw Estate near Fox House. Bookings are now being taken for school visits.

You can now request a speaker for your group or organisation by completing a form online and e-mailing it to us. In most cases talks from one of our experienced and enthusastic staff about different aspects of the project are FREE of charge (donations accepted). Contact us.