Monitoring the socioeconomic impacts of the project
We are assessing the impact of the MoorLIFE 2020 (ML2020) Project on the local economy and population.
We’re asking questions to four main groups of people who may be interested in the work: conservation contractors, visitors, local businesses and local farmers/land managers. We’re surveying these groups in areas around the South Pennines and Peak District National Park using questionnaires.
What the surveys tell us
The surveys look into how much people are aware of and understand blanket bog conservation and the benefits delivered by such work. They also look at perceptions and actual impacts of our conservation works on local businesses, land managers and visitors.
A total of 121 businesses were surveyed throughout September and early October 2017 from 17 different towns and villages in and around the South Pennines and Peak District National Park. Attitudes towards blanket bogs and blanket bog conservation were positive and considered to be of benefit to society and a worthwhile thing to do. We will conduct a second survey later in the programme to see if these opinions change after the work has been completed, and people can see the restoration work on the ground.
A total of 531 visitors to five different sites in and around the South Pennines and the Peak District were surveyed in May 2018. Nearly 60% of all respondents spent time in or very near areas receiving conservation work as part of the ML2020 project during their visit. The vast majority of visitors valued moorland habitats and felt that the potential benefits of bog conservation were important. However, it was concluded that more profound benefits will accrue gradually over time, thus longer-term monitoring of the impact on visitors will be required to determine any long-term impacts on the visitor experience.
Some of these surveys are due to be conducted again late towards the end of the project so that any changes can be captured.
Reports
MoorLIFE 2020 Business and Visitor Surveys
Funded by
