Background The area of relatively undisturbed lowland raised bog in the UK has diminished by about 94%, from 95 000 ha to 6 000 ha, over the past century. Up to 90% of lowland raised bogs have been modified, damaged or destroyed by past management activities such as peat cutting, drainage, forestry or agriculture, while three quarters of the habitat area is in poor condition. The county of Cumbria in north-west England still has 5 480 ha of lowland raised bog, of which 1 178 ha is degraded. Therefore, there is an urgent conservation need to restore these raised bogs. Objectives The Cumbrian BogsLIFE+ project targets the restoration of degraded lowland raised bog within three Natura 2000 network sites: Bolton Fell Moss, South Solway Mosses, and Roundsea Wood and Mosses. These sites have a combined area of 2 807 ha, representing around 50% of lowland raised bogs in Cumbria. The project sites have been particularly damaged by large-scale commercial peat extraction and drainage of the outer margins of the bog for agricultural purposes. The result is that parts of the bogs are hydrologically impaired, denuded of natural vegetation, and colonised by scrub and Rhododendron. The project will focus on two target habitat types - ‘Degraded raised bog capable of natural regeneration’ and ‘Active raised bog’ – and will demonstrate a variety of techniques for the complete restoration of lowland raised bog habitats; including the restoration of natural hydrological systems and biodiversity. The long term aim is to achieve favourable conservation status of Natura 2000 raised bog habitats on the Roundsea Woods and Mosses and South Solway Mosses sites by 2035 and on the Bolton Fell Moss site by 2039. The restoration will help to increase the resilience of the sites to climate change and avoid further loss of carbon. Specific objectives are: To restore 507 ha of degraded raised bog habitat leading to the direct improvement of 751 ha of habitat on three sites; To restore optimum water levels, combined with the re-introduction of Sphagnum mosses on worked-out peat extraction sites, to stimulate re-colonisation by peat-forming vegetation; To remove scrub and trees to allow sites to rewet and to control or eradicate invasive non-native Rhododendron; To use the sites to illustrate a range of restoration techniques to managers of similar habitats and to wider audiences; To monitor the recovery process and disseminate best practice guidance associated with the restoration techniques; and To raise public and professional awareness about the importance and value of lowland raised bog habitats. Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following: Restoration of 507 ha of degraded raised bog habitat including the removal of 120 ha of scrub, woodland and plantation and the control and eradication of 84 ha of invasive Rhododendron; Water retention structures and other works over 193 ha of vegetated peat surfaces and 314 ha of milled peat surfaces raising water levels to around 10 cm above or below ground level; Sphagnum and protective mulches applied to 314 ha with 5-10% peat-forming vegetation re-established within the first five years; Recovery plan with baseline ecology and hydrology, post-operation monitoring and final survey, analysis of results and report; Socio-economic impact and ecosystem functions restoration reports, including an assessment of the ecosystem services value of intact peatlands in reducing carbon loss; Dissemination of key messages and results to technical and non-technical audiences including local communities, scientific outputs, demonstration workshop and final conference; and Networks established with similar LIFE and non-LIFE projects.