Wildlife Trust fundraising for loan used to buy Gun Moor Meadow

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust said the meadow is the missing piece in the Gun Moor jigsaw

A wildlife trust has launched an appeal for £81,000 after a loan was used to pay for a piece of land with high biodiversity.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust bought Gun Moor Meadow in the Peak District in 2019.

The meadow is said to be an area of international importance for rare bird and plant life.

Bryony Davison from the trust said they had to "act fast to secure it" when the land came up for sale.

"This meant taking out a loan, which we now need to pay back. We urgently need to raise funds to cover this, so we don't have to dip into our reserve funding," said Ms Davison, the conservation project officer.

The meadow, near Leek, has been intensively grazed for many years, suppressing the natural flora and fauna, the trust said.

It is said to be the missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle for the trust to protect Gun Moor and Staffordshire wildlife.

"The fence separating the field from Gun Moor will soon be removed and the drainage ditches filled in to allow the site to rewet," Ms Davidson said.

"A small number of cattle will be used to lightly graze the field, allowing the re-establishment of native plants such as bog asphodel, cranberry, cotton grass and sundew."

The charity said these changes to the landscape could bring back species such as skylark and meadow pipits, and in the long term, hen harrier, black grouse, and pine martens could return to the wider landscape.