Manx Wildlife Trust has purchased 43 acres of moorland and blanket bog that will extend its Dalby Mountain nature reserve.

The acquisition is thanks to funding from island-based asset management firm Resilience.

It represents a 62% expansion of the existing 69-acre nature reserve, which MWT originally acquired in 1995.

And it means that it will overtake Creg y Cowin to become the charity’s second largest reserve in the island after Glion Darragh.

Dalby Mountain is MWT’s only upland reserve.

The new land, which will be known as ‘Creeney-chreeagh’, meaning ‘wise-hearted’ in Manx, is of exceptional ecological importance and landscape character, forming an excellent example of blanket bog.

It is recognised as being of international significance for nature conservation both as a blanket bog habitat and important area for hen harriers.

The site is registered heathland and adjacent to the Glen Rushen Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). MWT will be seeking its designation as both an ASSI and as a fully confirmed Ramsar Wetland.

David Bellamy, head of conservation and land at MWT, said: ‘Until today, MWT only owned about a third of this bog, but now the entire ecological unit is under our perpetual stewardship.

‘The site supports key species including round-leaved sundew, bog asphodel, orchids, sphagnum mosses, cotton-grass, hen harrier, meadow pipit, grasshopper warbler, reed bunting, cuckoo, curlew, short-eared owl, skylark, snipe and jack snipe – to name but a few!

‘In time, this acquisition will help us to raise awareness of the importance of our island’s precious peatlands.’

He continued: ‘Notably this site requires next to no management and impressively has been acquired at no cost to MWT, being our second acquisition this year facilitated by Green Finance.

‘Indeed, not only has the full purchase cost been kindly paid for by Resilience Asset Management, but so have the legal fees. A huge thank you to Greg Easton and his team, who have decided that this parcel of land will be known as ‘Creeney-chreeagh.’

He also paid tribute to all reserve volunteers, including ‘muckers, bashers, wetlanders, Calf wardens and rainforesters’, without whom the charity couldn’t entertain expanding its estate of nature reserves and progress towards its goal of seeing 30% of the island’s land and sea managed for nature by 2030.

Greg Easton, managing director at Resilience Asset Management said: ‘When we completed our management buyout in May 2024 we made a commitment to setting aside 10% of our management fees for conservation.

‘Everyone who has invested with us this year, through their pensions or directly can now say they have helped to preserve this habitat for future generations. We are incredibly fortunate to have a business within a UNESCO Biosphere and to be able to contribute to the island’s 30 by 30 target gives us an enormous sense of purpose.’