| Research Objects | Invited Research

Research Objectives

To develop expertise about to protect and provide a vehicle for sustainable management of moorlands into the future

We are doing this by undertaking the following:

Patterns
(a) Setting up a unified database of all existing records for the moorlands (GIS)
(b) Commissioning new surveys and acquire new datasets to complete database

Processes
(c) Identifying impact of processes on moorlands (grazing / recreation pressure / fire / erosion / pollution / climate change)
(d) Monitoring the success of restoration projects

Planning
(e) Identifying sustainability indicators for moorlands
(f) Identifying efficient conservation management measures

Invited Research - back to top

Moors for the Future aims to make our GIS and database available to research institutions as far as possible. We welcome analyses of these data through interdisciplinary research and invite collaboration with respect to our research objectives. Research ideas:

• spatio-temporal patterns of biodiversity on moorlands

• impact of land-use on biodiversity (species, populations), water (DOC, heavy metal loads) and soil properties (humification, carbon storage)

• recreational patterns & visitor attitude (predicted change with CROW Act / sustainable tourism)

• peatland initiation & development (past & future)

• predicted impact of climate change (species/habitat shifts, carbon storage)

• efficient conservation management planning

The project provides unique research opportunities to assess:

• stock exclusion (32 km2 fenced off moorland), restoration works at an agricultural scale (re-vegetation of 3 km2 bare peat)and the CROW Act, Sept 19th 2004.