Remote and often hidden from everyday life, peatlands play a vital role in tackling the climate and ecological emergencies. Across Devon and the wider South West, peatlands store carbon, regulate water flow, reduce flood risk and support rare wildlife. Yet around 80% of England’s peatlands are degraded, meaning they can no longer provide these crucial benefits.

A new 11½‑minute film from the South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP) shines a light on the action already underway to restore these landscapes. Filmed across Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor, the film captures both the beauty of peatlands and the scale of collaborative effort required to bring them back to life – from blocking erosion channels and re‑wetting peat, to stabilising water tables and protecting archaeological features.

More than 5,000 hectares of peatland in the South West have already been restored through partnership working between landowners, farmers, contractors, researchers and organisations including Natural England, South West Water, the Environment Agency, the National Trust and the Duchy of Cornwall. Monitoring shows that some benefits, such as improved water flows and returning wildlife, can be seen quickly, while others, including carbon storage and peat formation, take longer to realise.

Recent research highlights why this work is urgent, warning that without restoration, some blanket bogs may struggle to survive beyond the next few decades under future climate scenarios. The film offers a hopeful message: with the right interventions, long‑term investment and collaboration, peatlands can once again support nature, store carbon and protect communities.

Watch the film at South West Peatland Partnership