Risk Workshop: Moorland Wildfires in the Peak District. Technical Report,

This risk workshop on Moorland Wildfires in the Peak District was held at Sustainability North West on the 28th January 2005. It provided an opportunity for members of the CCVE research team to engage with interested experts and stakeholders to help scope out the key issues for the study, that is, those climate-related impacts of most concern to experts and stakeholders. A total of 17 people attended the meeting, including 10 invited stakeholders. The workshop was considered extremely successful and has provided an excellent input into the research process for this case study.The Pennine moors are vulnerable to wildfires, especially during prolonged periods of dry weather in spring and summer. These wildfires are difficult and expensive to control; they impact on landscape and biodiversity and can result in long-term damage to the moorland ecosystem. Climate change may well exacerbate this problem and necessitate more frequent access restrictions / closures – a preventative measure at times of high fire risk. This case study, in association with Moors for the Future, will seek to quantify climate change impacts and explore the feasibility and desirability of different adaptive responses.