Peak District moorland conservation expert profiled in new collection of UK environmental success stories

Geoff Eyre, who has led efforts to restore 40 square miles of moorland supporting rare birds such as curlew and ring ouzels, is one of nine conservationists profiled in the publication from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Writer Joe Dimbleby said: “The stories of these conservationists show that, with the right approach, it is possible to combine thriving local communities with a productive countryside and the preservation of our precious heather moorland and its biodiversity.”

Geoff likens his moorland restoration work to gardening on a grand scale, but that does it a great disservice.

Over the past 30 years he has pioneered methods of collecting the seeds of upland native plants and sowing them, single-handedly restoring an area the size of 14,500 football pitches.

It is a story of invention as much as conservation. By adapting existing agricultural machinery, Geoff developed a special harvester and, once cut, the heather is processed by a series of custom-built machines which separate the seeds.

Geoff has even used science to increase germination from five to 80 per cent.

After discovering that fire stimulates the process, Geoff set about extracting a liquid chemical from heather smoke using water-cooled radiators.

This has made a real difference to his work, for which he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Liverpool University.

In his foreword to the Moorland Conservationists collection, former environment minister Richard Benyon said: “The management of Britain’s uplands is remarkable.

“It is a story of generations of skill and knowledge, combined with modern technologies and science. The actions of moorland managers are the last bulwark in what is a crisis of species decline across Britain.”

Other success stories featured in the collection include projects to help waders in Wensleydale, attract birds of prey to the North Yorkshire Moors, and revive the golden eagle population of Scotland.

A limited number of copies are available to buy online for £3.99 at https://bit.ly/2YlDmaI.