Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
Organisation type:
NGO/ Conservation Body
Contact name:
Mike Jones
Position/ Role:
Projects Manager South Yorkshire
email:
Grants interested in applying for:
Lowland Peat Water Discovery Grant, Lowland Peat Water Implementation Grant
Region:
South Yorkshire and Humberhead
Areas of expertise
Carbon accounting/ water management, Environmental monitoring (habitats, water quality), Hydrology, rewetting infrastructure, water management (e.g. tilting weirs, level-control structures), Farmer engagement/ knowledge exchange, Landscape scale planning (aligned with Defra's Landscape Recovery), Peatland restoration, Policy/ regulation/ advisory services, Private finance, Scientific research (ecology, soils, modelling, remote sensing, biogeochemistry)
Resources available
Facilities for meetings/ demonstrations, Match funding opportunities, Monitoring and sensing equipment (e.g. hydrology, ecology, remote sensing) equipment, Specialist machinery/ field equipment, Staff time/ research capacity, Water-level infrastructure (e.g. weirs, sluices, pumps)
Engagement interests
Having lead the delivery of LAPWDP projects on 11 farms in the Humberhead Levels over the past 2 years, we are looking to build on the knowlege and experience gained to implement designs as well as undertake feasibility and design work on new farms within the region.
We are looking to lead a project delivering the feasibility assessment we have developed and are very interested in collaborating to add value to this in terms of:
- Refining site based data collection methodologies to improve accuracy and efficiency
- Understanding and communicating funding options available to landowners, ensuring assessments provide the required level of certainty to access funding.
- Incorporating additional sites within the next stage of Discovery / Implementation
Additional information
Past Projects
Humberhead Levels Lowland Agricultural Peat Water Discovery Pilot project summary (March 2024 - March 2026):
- Feasibility assessments included a detailed desk-based review, ecological surveys and assessments and on-site peat depth and water level which was then incorporated into 3D visualisation maps. A refined feasibility assessment process was developed for new sites delivered in Year 2, providing improved efficiency for future project delivery.
- Detailed business case and blended finance assessments were undertaken for each farm, providing realistic funding options for landowners to access moving forward (countryside stewardship higher tier); the feasibility assessment requirements for which informed the Year 2 design scope.
- Detailed design quantified the achievability of the proposed water levels using a detailed water budget and progressed designs on three farms to construction stage, programmed for summer 2026.
Nature for Climate Peatland Restoration works delivered since 2022, implementing water level and vegetation management measures on protected sites within the Humberhead Levels to protect lowland peat and create and enhance high value habitat. This includes the nationally significant Hatfield and Thorne Moors. To date, the project has resulted in 960ha of lowland peat under restoration.
Published Articles
YWT communications: Can we manage both lowland peatland restoration and agriculture on the Humberhead Levels? | Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
Facilities
Large meeting rooms suitable for warkshops at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve
Equipment
Established relationships with suppliers of bespoke water level monitoring kit (dip wells, geosock, measurement equipment, data analysis process etc)
Field Demonstrations
Pending delivery summer 2026, 3 case study farms may be available to demonstrate water level management structures, monitoring systems and land management requirements following raising water levels