Earth Hour

In case you haven't seen this email from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, here is their update about Earth Hour and the work being done to reduce the impact of climate change.

Whilst we at Cheshire Wildlife Trust spend a lot of our time working locally in Cheshire, much of our work does play a role in protecting the natural world on a larger scale. Whether it’s managing habitats of international importance or conserving our precious pockets of wildlife in Cheshire, we're working together to protect the environment.

With #EarthHourUK on Saturday 24th March at 8:30pm, we wanted to highlight some of the ways our work helps reduce the impact of climate change.

Mosslands

FACT: Peatland environments are the UK’s largest store of carbon. The carbon stored in UK peatlands is equivalent to 3 years of total UK carbon emissions!

In Delamere, we're helping to restore peatland which stores carbon from the atmosphere.

We’ve worked on 55 different sites across Delamere to restore peatland habitat through re-wetting. We’ve also surveyed new sites that need protection in the future.

Tree planting

We’re planting 1,000 trees in the Swettenham Valley to ensure woodland cover, capturing carbon in the area for centuries to come.

Reduce flooding

We’re working hard to hold more water upstream in the Peak District to prevent flooding downstream in Cheshire.

Pressures from climate change mean that floods have begun to occur more often and when they do occur, result in expensive damage.

As part of our five year Slowing the Flow project, we’re introducing flood prevention measures such as leaky dams to prevent flooding downstream during future storm events.

Minimise machinery

We’re working with local communities to teach traditional land management techniques as an alternative to machinery. In small, isolated meadows across Stockport the grass is scythed each summer, using no mowers or fuel.

Low food miles

As well as having our own allotment at our headquarters, we’re helping local Friends of Groups to manage Community Orchards, producing food locally and organically.

Working together

We're working with private landowners in the wider landscape, to create a landscape that is more permeable for wildlife to move through. This is necessary not just to protect populations, but also to enable species to extend their ranges in response to our changing climate. The combined effort of Wildlife Trusts nationally to create Living Landscapes is helping wildlife move around the British countryside.

What are you doing?

Is there something you’re doing to act against climate change? Perhaps you’re switching your lights off for just an hour at 8:30pm on Saturday, joining the likes of Buckingham Palace and Edinburgh Castle. No matter how big or small the action, do let us know what you're doing on Facebook, Twitter or email.