What are Living Moors?
England's southwest wetland landscapes are living, working places. They hold water, support wildlife, provide us with food, store carbon in peat soils, and help shape the character of our towns, villages and countryside.
Across Somerset and North Somerset, low-lying moors, levels, valleys and wetlands are facing pressure from climate change, land use change and rising flood risk.
Living Moors is about understanding these places better and helping them stay healthy for future generations.
The North Somerset Moors and Gordano Valley are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to rare wetlands and wildlife
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About half of the original peat has been lost in North Somerset since the 1950s
Peat is
shrinking
by
7mm per year!
Why living?
They are living because they are always changing.
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Water levels rise and fall through the seasons. Wildlife moves through the landscape. Farmers and land managers make daily decisions about how land is used. Peat soils respond to how wet or dry they are. Communities experience these places through walking, working, birdwatching, farming, flooding, history and local identity.
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The aim is not to freeze the landscape in time. The aim is to help it keep functioning as a healthy, productive and wildlife-rich place.
Why these landscapes matter for:
Farming
Water
Wildlife
Heritage
People
Climate
These are working landscapes. Farming has shaped them and remains central to their future. Living Moors is about finding practical ways to support farming while also protecting peat, water and wildlife.
Moors and wetland soils are part of a wider water system. They are connected to rainfall, ditches, rivers, pumps, sluices, tides and flood risk. Managing water carefully is central to the future of these landscapes.
Wet grassland, rhynes, ditches and wet woodland edges can support birds, insects, plants, amphibians and other wildlife. Many wetland species depend on the right balance of water, vegetation and land management.
Wet ground can preserve evidence of past landscapes and human activity. Peat can act like a natural archive, holding clues about how places changed over thousands of years
Wet peat can store large amounts of carbon. If peat dries out, it can start to break down and release carbon. Keeping peat healthier and wetter can help reduce carbon loss
People live, work and visit these wetland landscapes. They are loved by people and there is a community interest in them being health and living places.
Use this site for:
- learning what peat is and why it matters
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- understanding how water is managed on the moors
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- exploring the North Somerset project in more detail
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- watching the short film
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- using the water level visualisation tool
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- downloading factsheets and reports
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- finding out how residents, schools, farmers and landowners can get involved
What's happening already?
Understanding peat
We're mapping where peat is healthy or at most risk - so we can act in the right places
Managing water carefully
We are exploring how existing rhynes and structures can hold more water in the landscape, keeping peat wetter without increasing flood risk.
Supporting farming and wildlife
We are working with landowners to maximise wildlife and farming by keeping peat wetter
Featured
media
Short film
a quick tour of the landscape, the peat beneath it, and the people working together to protect it
Water level tool
Explore how water levels can be managed across the moors