Certain kinds of pollutions which have damaged upland areas have fallen dramatically since the 1980s. For example, sulphur dioxide from burning fossil fuels like coal has fallen by 60% since the mid-1980s. But other pollutants have remained high, for example nitrogen oxide emissions have increased with the rise in the number of vehicles on the road. Nitrogen oxides react with other chemicals in the air to produce ground level ozone and nitrates, which are bad for human health as well as damaging crops and natural communities. Climate change is bringing changes in weather patterns and increased temperature, which will also impact on upland areas and will affect the ability of these habitats to recover following from pollution.

The Recovery Roof project looks at how fast and how well our moorlands will recover from pollution and how this will compare with changes brought about by climate change.

The Peak District is historically one of the most polluted upland areas, mostly because of its proximity to large cities like Manchester and Sheffield. The experiment is set up on Peaknaze Moor, above Glossop, and replicates future predicted changes in pollution levels and climate to large areas of the moor. We aim to see how the plants, animals and the soil react to less pollution and the changes in climate that we might see over the next few decades. Our hope is to identify any changes that come from climate change and falling levels of pollution. This is important for land managers, who have to decide when to act to preserve these habitats and when nothing can actually be done at a local scale. For example, climate change and many pollution issues need a national solution – we’re hoping that our project will help land managers focus on what they can do to save and improve these areas.