Landscapes for Water is an ambitious partnership involving the National Trust, Yorkshire Water, the Woodland Trust, White Rose Forest, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Moors for the Future partnership. The initiative aims to restore and improve a significant area of uplands through a landmark programme of nature restoration.
The programme focuses on restoring five areas of the South Pennine Moors, including Ryburn and the neighbouring Baitings reservoir in Calderdale and Deanhead and March Haigh in Kirklees. This includes efforts to reverse historic loss of significant woodland areas by carefully restoring biodiverse clough woodlands in the steep-sided ravines on the edge of open moorlands.
By recreating clough woodlands, the project aims to rejuvenate these vital habitats, enhancing the diversity and condition of some of Calderdale’s most important upland nature sites. In the long term, it is hoped these new woodlands will provide homes for threatened species such as black grouse, pine marten and red squirrel. The initiative also aims to boost populations of birds such as redstart, pied flycatcher, ring ouzel and nightjar.
Beyond benefiting wildlife, the restored clough woodlands will capture carbon to tackle climate change, improve water quality and provide protection for homes and businesses in Calderdale and Kirklees by slowing the flow of water running off the moors.
(Credit: Yorkshire Water)
