THE Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is set to benefit from a £7million government grant to help with moorland conservation.

The projects in Bowland will involve restoration of 250 hectares of internationally important blanket bog habitat on four sites across the area.

A panel of experts and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials assessed the projects and awarded the funding based on the value to wildlife and the potential for carbon capture.

The work will contribute to the UK’s climate change goals by helping the peatland landscape to lock in carbon, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

Elliott Lorimer, principal officer for the Forest of Bowland AONB said: "We're delighted that these partnership funding bids have been successful and that the AONB Partnership will be able to continue its work to restore these vitally important upland habitats."

The work will ensure that more than 14,700 tonnes of carbon per year is locked down into the blanket bog moors

Peatlands across northern England have been badly degraded by decades of industrial pollution and wildfires. Acid rain and wildfire has killed off vital bog-mosses called Sphagnum, leaving the peat beneath bare and exposed.

On healthy peatlands, special plants help the peat to suck in carbon out of the air, similar to trees.