Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and The University of Manchester: Innovating Peatland Restoration for Climate and Nature

A collaboration delivering a breakthrough method for restoring steep eroding peatlands; crucial to achieving lower carbon emissions, greater biodiversity, and improved flood resilience.

A collaboration delivering a breakthrough method for restoring steep eroding peatlands 

The University of Manchester and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have pioneered a novel approach to upland peatland restoration through an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). The project developed and evidenced PeatFix, a hydroseeding technique that successfully re-vegetates steep, degraded peat slopes – critical for reducing carbon emissions, improving biodiversity, and mitigating flood risk. 

This innovative partnership demonstrates how academic expertise and conservation practice can combine to tackle one of the UK’s most pressing environmental challenges. 

Driving environmental change through innovation 

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust leads the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, aiming to restore all peatlands in North Yorkshire by 2035. Peatlands are globally rare carbon stores, yet many are severely degraded, emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to flooding. Traditional restoration methods often fail on steep slopes, leaving bare peat exposed. 

Through the KTP, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust worked with Dr Emma Shuttleworth, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography to design and test PeatFix – a mix of mulch, seed, and adhesive applied via hydroseeding. The method proved highly effective, with wool-based mixes and the inclusion of Deschampsia flexuosa (wavy hair grass) emerging as key to success. 

A partnership with lasting impact 

The project has delivered clear evidence that PeatFix works, reducing restoration costs and failure rates while opening new opportunities for carbon finance under the Peatland Code. It positions Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as a leader in peatland innovation and creates potential for consultancy services to other restoration projects across the UK. 

Beyond technical success, the partnership strengthened academic-conservation links, generated new research questions, and embedded knowledge into YWT operations through technical specifications and staff training.  

The project’s impact has been widely recognised – featured in The Guardian, on BBC’s Great British Railway Journeys, and in the Wildlife Trusts’ Wild Science Report – showcasing how knowledge-driven innovation can deliver real-world benefits for climate, nature, and communities.