The final phase of moorland restoration work has begun in a beautiful location in West Yorkshire.

Work on Ilkley Moor is expected to be completed by the end of March.

The restoration has involved lifting large stones to slow the flow of water from the moor and reduce the risk of flooding in Wharfedale, as well as planting vegetation to improve biodiversity.

Bradford Council said the work would “ensure multiple benefits from this much-loved site and address, in our own way, some of the local impacts of climate change”.

Councilor Alex Ross-Shaw added: “The work, when completed, will allow biodiversity to thrive on the moor, help reduce flooding in Wharfedale, improve the moor’s ability to capture and retain carbon in peat and increase its resilience. to damaging forest fires. “.

Other restoration activities will include the planting of peat-forming sphagnum moss plants, road improvements to reduce erosion and runoff, bracken management and heather clearing “to create a more diverse mosaic of moorland vegetation” said a Bradford Council spokesperson.

The cuttings will be used to create heather bales, which are used to stop the flow of water from the moor, they added.

More than 350 stone checkers will be built and 200 trees will be planted.

The project is being completed by Bradford Council Countryside and Land Drainage teams, Moors for the Future Partnership, Friends of Ilkley Moor, contractors Net Zero North and Rebel Restoration.

It has been funded through a combination of climate emergency funding from the council, grants secured by Moors for the Future Partnership and contributions from Rebel Restoration and Friends of Ilkley Moor.

Richard Brewster, conservation works officer at Moors for the Future Partnership, said a monitoring program was being carried out to record data and evaluate the benefits of the restoration work.

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