Assessment of the Success of the Restoration of a Small Scale Area of Mossland at Risley Moss

Abstract

Lowland raised bogs are an endangered type of peatland habitat. In recent history these environments have been exploited for many reasons such as the extraction which has degraded many of these habitats beyond the point of recovery. Restoration can help to protect these environments whilst also attempting to return these habitats to their original states. The literature review of this study explores restoration in more detail. The aim of this study is to assess the success of one such restoration attempt at Risley Moss nature reserve. Work began to restore this habitat back in 2010 and this study looks at the progress made at the site and evaluates it. The vegetation present and water quality are essential to any restoration so the study focuses upon these. A Point quadrat was used to sample species of Sphagnum moss to estimate percentage cover at the site whilst pH samples were taken from the water. The study found that species of Sphagnum moss are common at the site which is a good indication of peatland recovery. However, the pH of the water present at the site was alkaline which is unhealthy for a bog. This study suggests future management to rectify this issue.