Ilkley Moor Restoration Enters Final Stage

The concluding stage of moorland restoration efforts at Ilkley Moor, a scenic location in West Yorkshire, is now underway. Completion of the work on Ilkley Moor is anticipated by the end of March. This restoration project has included the placement of large stones to regulate water flow from the moor and mitigate flood risks in Wharfedale, alongside the planting of vegetation to enhance biodiversity. Bradford Council stated that the work is expected to “secure multiple benefits from this well-loved site and address, in our own way, some of the local impacts of climate change”. Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw further stated: “The work, once completed, will allow biodiversity to thrive on the moor, help with reducing flooding in Wharfedale, enhance the moor’s ability to capture and lock up carbon in the peat and increase its resilience to damaging wildfire.” Additional restoration activities will encompass the planting of sphagnum moss plants, which contribute to peat formation, upgrades to pathways aimed at reducing erosion and surface run-off, bracken management, and heather cutting “to create a more diverse moorland vegetation mosaic”, as confirmed by a Bradford Council spokesperson. These off-cuts will be utilized to produce heather bales, which serve to impede water flow from the moorland, they further noted. Over 350 stone dams are scheduled for construction, and 200 trees are planned for planting. This project is being carried out by Bradford Council’s Countryside and Land Drainage teams, the Moors for the Future Partnership, Friends of Ilkley Moor, Net Zero North contractors, and Rebel Restoration. Funding for the initiative has been provided through a combination of the council’s climate emergency funding, grant funding secured by the Moors for the Future Partnership, and contributions from Rebel Restoration and the Friends of Ilkley Moor. Richard Brewster, the conservation works officer at the Moors for the Future Partnership, stated that a monitoring program is currently underway to collect data and evaluate the advantages of the restoration efforts.