NEWS AND BLOG

This might seem a little left-field to the usual content on this site, but the themes discussed in this YouTube presentation are relevant to paludiculture because Chloe Donovan’s work sits at the crossroads of agriculture, material supply chains, and low-carbon construction, consistently exploring how natural, plant-based materials can support new rural income sources and local manufacturing models. https://youtu.be/YPRwUz29PYI?si=DePxU3nSC3tj9gLm 1:1 scale cross-section of a

On Wednesday, 25 February, Defra’s Lowland Peat Team will host two webinars introducing the new grant schemes, which will run until 2030. This is a key opportunity to understand how new government support can help farm businesses adapt their business while protecting the long-term viability of England’s peat landscapes. Read more and register here   England’s lowland peatlands cover around 250,000 hectares, making them some of the most productive yet environmentally vulnerabl

A recent publication shows that paludiculture offers a sustainable, climate-smart alternative capable of reducing environmental impacts while creating new economic opportunities. It ultimately provides a practical, forward-looking pathway that addresses climate change, supports biodiversity, and strengthens rural economies—a genuine win-win-win. Link >> Jim Morefield Whilst redesigning and adding content to the paludiculture website resources page, I came across a recently p

At the Managing Carbon and Water in Lowland Landscapes Conference, the Broads Authority unveiled Broadly Speaking, a new podcast series created through a Defra‑funded project aimed at building a peatland community and tackling one of the region’s most pressing environmental challenges: cutting greenhouse gas emissions from 2,000 hectares of drained peat soils. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/322tik3SHtt2h4UTTsCoAb Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/broads-authority App

England’s peatlands are on the brink of transformation. These landscapes hold the key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, boosting biodiversity, and building farm resilience. With the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 setting bold restoration targets and new funding streams announced for 2026–2030. For more information, see the Defra Lowland Peat Newsletter The Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 , published on 1 December, aims to rest

A summary of the excellent webinar presented by Islam Abdel-Aziz, exploring how to increase Typha latifolia  seed‑head production to boost fibre yields. A copy of the slides used in this webinar can be downloaded as a PDF here>> To make wetlands work for farmers and the climate, we need wet‑grown crops that are productive, reliable, and simple to manage. The latest ADAS trials with Typha latifolia  (common cattail) explore how planting density, depth, rhizome maturity, and in

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme (IUCN UK PP) is pleased to launch the Expression of Interest (EOI) process for a major Defra-commissioned project: Strengthening the Evidence Base for Peatland Policy in England  (November 2025–March 2027). As an individual or organisation involved in peatland restoration, IUCN UK PP invite you to review the topics proposed and submit an expression of interest if your organisation would like to be involved. This substantial review aims to synthe

Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 - GOV.UK . When we think about climate action, forests and renewable energy often steal the spotlight. But beneath our feet lies one of the most powerful natural tools for tackling climate change: peatlands . These waterlogged landscapes store more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. Yet, when degraded, they release greenhouse gases, turning from climate allies into climate culprits. That’s why the UK government’s Environmental Im

ARU-Peterbough are giving a free opportunity to experience drone planting in the environment and for agriculture. Time & Location 05 Dec 2025, 13:30 Peterborough Research Innovation Centre, Bishop's Rd, Peterborough PE1, UK Booking will close on Tues 2 nd  Dec 5pm, places are limited. To book email Joanna.Bellett-Travers@aru.ac.uk , The Head of Agri and Environment Drones SIG for ARPAS-UK, will be at the event to answer questions. The Immersive Virtual Drone Planting Event wi

Euronews highlights the Palus Demos project at Ballaghurt Bog, demonstrating paludiculture’s potential to align peatland rewetting with economically viable biomass production. Paludiculture — the productive use of wet soils — is emerging as a transformative approach to farming across Europe, with promising benefits for both agriculture and water quality. This potential was recently highlighted in The Road to Green , a Euronews TV series hosted by Cyril Fournier, which explore

Image: Lancashire Wildlife Trust Fashion’s hidden footprint and how peatlands can help Liv Symes from materials science company Ponda® explores the environmental cost of fast fashion and how their Biopuff® material is supporting peatland restoration in the North West. 🔗 https://www.lancswt.org.uk/blog/guest/fashions-hidden-footprint-and-how-peatlands-can-help Historic harvest underway for boggy bulrush trial in Manchester A blog from the end of September celebrating the fi

The Paludi4All project  is after some information to help them identify promising species and value chains that can support climate mitigation and rural development. To help them in this study, they would like you to complete their survey . The survey focuses on 13 species, or species‑groups, identified in prior research as having potential as paludiculture crops in temperate zones of Europe (Abel, S. & Kallweit, T. (2022) Potential Paludiculture Plants of the Holarctic. Pag

The Fenland Flora: Survival against the odds Webinar: Monday, November 17 1 – 2 pm Owen Mountford (joint coordinator with Jon Graham of the Fenland Flora project) is delivering a webinar that provides an overview of the Fenland Flora project. Since 2005, the project has been surveying the Fens, documenting the history and current state of wild plants, emphasising the region’s importance, especially for aquatic plants. Click here to register

The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), are running a trial comparing the suitability of different rice varieties for production...

The Holker Farm Estate has received the prestigious sustainability and environmental award at the 2025 Cumbria Farmer Awards in...

The Broads Authority has opened registration for a one-day conference at the UEA, Norwich. "Managing carbon and water in lowland...

Niab has been working with WWF and Fenland Soil to explore and support more sustainable cropping systems on lowland peat soils. This work...

26 June 2025 – 1 February 2026, The Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE The Wellcome Trust have a free exhibition...

Two online training modules targeted specifically at farm advisers in both the lowlands and uplands on the BASIS professional register....

The Groundswell Festival   Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd July 2025 at Lannock Manor Farm, just off Junction 9 of the A1(M). The postcode...