An innovative project to help restore Calderdale’s moorland areas and support the borough’s ambitious carbon reduction targets, has received national recognition.
Calderdale Council has been named as a finalist in the APSE Service Awards 2024(external link), in the category of Best Climate Action or Decarbonisation Initiative.
The awards celebrate excellence in public service, across 17 category areas, with the winners agreed by a panel of experts.
The Council’s nomination recognises the pioneering work on the Sphagnum Moss Project, part of the National Lottery-funded Growing Resilience Project.
Sphagnum moss, which used to carpet the ground on local moors, is an important plant in natural flood management and carbon capture. The moss carpets the ground and bogs on moorlands to eventually reform peatlands. By storing up to 20 times its own weight in water, sphagnum moss also helps reduce the risks of flooding and moorland fires, offering essential protection to communities.
Through the Sphagnum Moss Project, the Council has been working with volunteers to grow the moss in a nursery environment. The volunteers have worked tirelessly to find the best ways for it to grow, finding solutions to overcome issues and ultimately identifying the species and growing conditions most suitable to enable successful growing.
Around 1500 plug plants have already been planted on moorlands, with further grant funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority supporting this and other landscaping work needed for the sphagnum to become established. Further planting is due to take place throughout this winter.
The project also aims to engage local communities and stimulate conversations around the connections between landscape use, climate change, flooding, moorland fires and nature recovery.
In addition to local engagement, findings from the project are being shared with organisations across the country, enabling others to learn from the project to support wider climate action.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing, Cllr Scott Patient, said:
“As part of the borough’s Climate Action Plan, we’re committed to working with local communities to develop climate focused projects which support peatland restoration, carbon reduction and help to reduce the very real risk of flooding in the borough.
“The innovative Sphagnum Moss Project supports all these objectives, with volunteers working hard to find the best way to grow this incredible plant, which can bring so many benefits for our damaged moorlands.
“I’m delighted that the project has received national recognition; raising its profile and hopefully allowing more organisations to learn from our experiences and support national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and ecological emergency.”
The winners of the APSE Service Awards will be announced at the organisation’s Annual Charity Awards Dinner, in aid of Parkinson’s UK, on Thursday 12 September 2024.
The Calderdale Climate Action Plan has been developed in partnership with people and organisations across Calderdale and focuses on the steps needed between 2023 and 2026 to achieve Calderdale’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2038.To find out more, visit https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/environment/sustainability/climate-action-plan
To keep up to date with climate action across Calderdale, sign up for email updates at: Climate Emergency newsletter(external link)