Wednesday November 16 is Biodiversity Day at the Cop27 summit and will highlight what is needed to combat the threat to the survival of species across the planet.

To coincide, the campaign against a development which could worsen climate change will see a public consultation they have hosted come to an end.

In Macclesfield, local people are fighting to protect the wide biodiversity on Danes Moss from plans by Cheshire East Council and private housing developers to build 950 homes, a link road and supermarket and a school on a rare lowland peat bog habitat. 

The Save Danes Moss campaign petition now has nearly 22,000 signatures, £20,000 has been raised so far to fight the development in the courts and the campaign has support from well-known environmentalists and authors including Mark Cocker, Kathleen Jamie, Richard Mabey, Chris Packham and Robert McFarlane.

Wet woodland is a rare and declining habitat. It is just one of a mosaic of valuable wildlife habitats at Danes Moss.

Stopping development on the site is the first priority but having a positive plan for the future of the site is also important.

With this in mind Save Danes Moss Community Group in collaboration with Cheshire Wildlife Trust have created an exciting alternative vision for the future of Danes Moss. This proposes a landscape-scale nature recovery project that extends beyond the site itself to create a network of wildlife-rich sites in and around south Macclesfield and the surrounding countryside.

Danes Moss is the largest surviving remnant of lowland raised bog in Cheshire. This is an increasingly rare habitat across the UK with only 4% of lowland raised bogs remaining. Danes Moss is not only an important carbon store but is also one of the most biodiverse areas in Cheshire East with 61 protected species recorded in the development area and 101 across the moss as a whole including the adjacent Danes Moss SSSI and nature reserve.

The vision proposes rewetting and restoring the peat at Danes Moss to an active peat bog capable capturing and storing even more carbon and helping in the fight against climate change.

Peatlands at Danes Moss. The site is thought to contain over 220,000 cubic metres of peat, which is a natural carbon sink.

The historic moss rooms on the site would be retained and habitats would be conserved and enhanced to protect the incredible biodiversity of the site. A network of footpaths and boardwalks would create improved access for visitors to enjoy this greenspace and the countryside beyond.

Landscape-scale recovery projects such at that proposed at Danes Moss are vital to protect and enhance biodiversity. Many species such as the rare willow tit which breeds at Danes Moss occur now only in isolated populations which become more vulnerable as habitat is destroyed and they are cut off from neighbouring populations.

As part of the vision the potential to connect the willow tit population at Danes Moss to populations in Staffordshire and Greater Manchester would be explored.

The loss of the willow tits at Danes Moss would further endanger these vulnerable birds which with only 3000 breeding pairs remaining in the UK are our most threatened resident bird.

Restoration and conservation of the peat bog at Danes Moss provides a unique opportunity to create a natural carbon sink to combat climate change and create a wildlife-rich resource for people and nature.

This vision would help to re-create Macclesfield as a green and nature-friendly town with a positive and forward-looking plan for addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency being addressed at Cop 27.

There is more detail about the vision and the opportunity to comment on the proposals at https://actionnetwork.org/forms/a-vision-for-danes-moss/.

The consultation ends on 18th November.

The land off Congleton Road near the Moss estate is popular with dog walkers.

The area is called the South Macclesfield Development Area by part-landowners Cheshire East Council, who have been contacted for comment.

See Also: Prestbury business decorates window to protect South Macclesfield site from housing

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