With flooding already affecting one in six homes in the UK, and that number expected to rise to one in four by 2050, the partnership will focus on natural flood management to slow water flow, store carbon, and create healthier habitats to make a real difference for people, wildlife, and the climate.
Funded by £600,000 investment from Admiral Group’s Green Fund Initiative, the project will deliver both large scale and targeted restoration work in Eryri in Wales, across the Holnicote Estate in Somerset and in the Lake District.
The first of these projects is now underway in the heart of Eryri where the aim is to breathe new life back into one of Wales’ most ecologically important landscapes - the Migneint blanket bog.
Working at the very peak of the vast Migneint plateau, this ambitious £180,000 project will restore around 12 hectares, the size of three Principality stadiums, of the most severely eroded peatland at Waen Fraith over the next three years. The area is a rare and precious, protected landscape with the project aiming to deliver powerful benefits for biodiversity, climate resilience, and flood prevention—making it a win for both nature and communities.
Peatland Officer at National Trust Cymru, Iago Thomas says: “Blanket bogs are unsung climate heroes. They lock away carbon, regulate water flow, and support rare wildlife. But in this upland environment where there is no protection from more frequent and extreme rainfall or strong winds, the peat is at huge risk of erosion.
“When peat dries out and erodes, it releases carbon into the atmosphere and worsens flooding downstream. The Migneint feeds tributaries that flow into the Afon Conwy, which can flood communities downstream in the Conwy Valley during heavy rain.
“By rewetting the bog, we will literally see the trickle-down impact of it all, with the land absorbing more water, slowing water flow, reducing carbon emissions, and creating thriving habitats. The restored habitat will benefit species like curlew, a wading bird in steep decline, which requires softer ground for their young to make it easier for them to feed, as well as invertebrates like dragon flies which need areas of open water. Restoring peat really is a nature-based solution with real-world impact.”
The project isn’t an isolated effort, building on years of restoration work across the Migneint through the Uwch Conwy project, and contributes to the long-term vision for the Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Together, these initiatives are piecing together a mosaic of healthy peatland, restoring the natural structure and resilience of the landscape for generations to come.
More information here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/national-trust-and-admiral-announce-three-year-partnership-focusing-on-natural-flood-prevention-in-england-and-wales