The Carbon Landscape is a diverse landscape of water, fen, wet grassland, wet woodland and lowland raised bog with a rich natural environment woven into its industrial heritage. It boasts rare wildlife like willow tits, bitterns, great crested newts, water voles, bog mosses and black-necked grebes.
The Carbon Landscape has a variety of wetlands. Plan your visit.
It has different designations and declarations ranging from the internationally important Special Area for Conservation (SAC), nationally important (Sites of Special Scientific Interest), National Nature Reserves, Local Nature Reserves, Sites of Biological Interest (Greater Manchester Ecology Unit) to local wildlife corridors and stepping stones that people regularly enjoy.
Working with fourteen delivery partners the Carbon Landscape encompasses sites across the
Flashes of Wigan and Leigh National Nature Reserve with SSSI designation at Ince Moss and Abram Flashes
Mosslands of Wigan, Salford and Warrington proposed National Nature Reserve including parts of remnant lowland raised bogs with SAC designation at Risley, Holcroft and Bedford and Astley Mosses.
Mersey Wetlands Corridor stretching from where the Irwell meets the Manchester Ship Canal, including Woolston Eyes (SAC), Rixton (SAC) and Paddington Meadows in Warrington.
The Carbon Landscape is the flagship programme of the Great Manchester Wetlands Partnership. Delivery partners came together to deliver, a £3.2million programme funded by the Heritage Fund (2017 – 2022).
Please see our Success Stories.
Our wildlife is connected through habitat restoration, access improvements and capacity building within our local communities. In this way nature and local custodians come together to enable a resilient post-industrial landscape on the doorsteps of two million people.