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Preserving Peatlands: My experience as an intern with the Northumberland Peat Partnership

Over the last two months, I have had the incredible opportunity to work with the Northumberland Peat Partnership, a collaboration dedicated to the preservation and restoration of peat bogs across Northumberland. As an aspiring environmental journalist, this experience has given me a hands-on glimpse into the world of conservation and the remarkable work undertaken by this team.

The internship started with lots and lots of reading, who knew there was so much to learn about peat bogs?! Using many resources, I gained knowledge in the ecological significance of peatlands, and the difficulties faced by these habitats due to degradation and human impact. The Hidden Peat campaign particularly left an impression on me, I was totally unaware that some mushrooms using peat as a growing medium! I now think I have become somewhat of a Peat Inspector in investigating the cases of missing peat-labels in my local supermarkets.

The statistics and facts surrounding peatlands are shocking. Peatlands are the largest terrestrial carbon stores on earth; however, 500,000 hectares of peatlands are being destroyed every year. Healthy peatlands can offset human activities that are raising CO2 levels, but some farmers are still draining areas of upland and lowland to make the land useful for agricultural practice. Given this appalling information, you’d think there would be laws and actions in place. Well, kind of. So far, The Wildlife Trusts have restored the equivalent of over 120,000 football pitches worth of peatland in England. In contrast to these vital efforts, the UK government announced it would ban the sale of bagged peat compost by 2024, but there is still no legislation in place to achieve this. After reading this, it became clear to me the importance of the Northumberland Peat Partnership; it is more than just restoring the 80% of damaged peatlands in the UK. We need people at home, wildlife lovers, and retailers to listen and take action, go peat-free and sell peat-free products!

Portrait image. Two conservation surveyors traverse the mire on a dreary.

Field trip to the Border Mires. Image by Alex Robinson.

On the 20th February, I embarked on a field trip with the NPP team to the astonishing Kielder Forest. Kielder is nestled in the heart of Northumberland and is a haven of natural beauty and biodiversity. The Border Mires (located in the boundaries of Kielder Forest) are a collection of more than 50 bodies of recognised peat and supports diverse plant communities and upland birds such as curlews. I was welcomed with warmth by Alex and the surveying team, but especially ‘pup on the peat’ Tilly. We arrived at East Kielder and stepped out into treacherous weather. It was a very windy and wet welcome onto the moorlands. We set off in search of peat bogs, measuring their depth and determining the NVC community. It was incredible to watch these surveyors at work, and cool to think this was their job! I got stuck in (quite literally, as I fell into a bog and had to be pulled out) and had a go at using field mapping to determine the location of the next survey point and even measured the peat depths as well. After lunch, we persevered through the wind and rain, however pup Tilly didn’t seem fazed by it! Despite the challenging weather conditions, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I was really impressed by the vast knowledge of ecology by the surveying team. The chance to see these vital ecosystems in the flesh, allowed me to develop a deeper appreciation for the beautiful landscapes in this country.

The next stage of my internship was to gather the knowledge from the learning resources and the Kielder field trip, to produce content across the social media pages. This was all new to me, so I spent time understanding how to make these posts and what type of content is engaging to raise awareness of these fragile ecosystems. I started by making a post explaining the purpose of the NPP, then I produced quizzes, Hidden Peat campaign posts, and more infographics! This stage of the internship has significantly developed my social media skills to produce captivating posts which effectively communicates the purpose and aims of this collaboration to an online audience.

My perception on peat bogs has definitely changed. Two years ago, they were just another topic in A-level biology. Now, I would class myself as a peat-bog enthusiast, sharing my newfound knowledge and passion with friends and family. As I carry on with my degree in Environmental Science, I carry with me a passion for conservation and the confidence that I can play a part in advocating the preservation of peatlands! I believe social media is a powerful tool for spreading an important message, however, nothing is a substitute for the immersive experience to connect with nature itself. It is easy to feel disheartened by the enormity of the environmental challenges we face, however this internship has shown me the power of collective action. I am extremely grateful to the Northumberland Peat Partnership and Northumberland Wildlife Trust for this opportunity to contribute even in a small way, and I am looking forward to seeing the Northumberland Peat Partnership’s future work through their growing social media platforms!