British Mountaineering Council and Moors for the Future Partnership win conservation award

We're delighted to announce that the EUROPARC Federation and the European Network of Outdoor Sports (ENOS) have given their Joint Award for Outdoor Sports and Nature Conservation to The Climate Project: Sphagnum Planting, a collaborative initiative between the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and Moors for the Future Partnership, part of the Peak District National Park Authority.

Set against the iconic landscape of The Roaches in Staffordshire, the initiative focused on restoring degraded peat moorland, with 4.9 hectares (the equivalent of nearly 7 football pitches) planted manually by BMC volunteers using innovative methods devised by Moors for the Future Partnership. This included planting sphagnum moss - a vital bog-building plant - into carefully created microhabitats using nothing more than walking boots to make shoe-sized "scrapes" in challenging terrain.

The EUROPARC Federation said: "This project demonstrated how experienced outdoor sports enthusiasts - climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers - can actively contribute to nature conservation, applying their love for the land in deeply practical ways. Their work on peatland restoration across the Peak District and South Pennines has not only benefited the environment but also set new standards in Outdoor Sports engagement with conservation. This project now serves as an exemplar of how sport can support nature-based climate solutions."