Since 2003, our frequent and detailed surveys show the effect of conservation actions on the developing vegetative community.

A detailed report was written in 2016. You can find links to the report and its 5 annexes at the bottom of this page.

The report explains the results of these surveys.  It details the changes to vegetation over time as a result of our work, as well as the knock on effects of this work in regard to outcomes such as the flow of water during a storm event, the water quality flowing from the sites, water table heights and sediment accumulation.

The research found that:

• The extent of bare peat reduced at a linear rate for 5 years
• The cover and number of indicator species improved over the whole 12 years
• Water table height increased steadily over 12 years
• A strong correlation between cover of indicator species and height of water table was observed
• Storm flow lag times (between peak rain input and peak flow output) increased dramatically in the first year
• The amount of peak storm flow decreased dramatically in the first year
• Concentrations of calcium (a major component of the lime treatment) were significantly raised and were still high 18 months later
• pH was also raised
• Annual mean concentrations of dissolved organic carbon did not change
• Gully blocks successfully trapped sediment during the first two years after installation

An article based on this research has been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment