1. To improve our understanding of the hydrology, hydrogeology, water balances, and nutrient exports from drained and extracted peatlands,
2. To investigate the impacts and pressures on water quality (chemistry, aquatic biota, and hydromorphology) arising from the drainage and mining of peatlands by identifying contaminants pressure zones and assessing the significance and extent of these environmental impacts in relation to the Water Framework Directive and Flood Directive targets,
3. To evaluate environmental protection measures in order to develop best practices guidelines by appraising and developing
a) Robust water purification and
b) Sustainable land-use management practices, including restoration or rewetting and after-use of cutaway and cutover bogs,
4. To integrate solutions to prevent or reduce water pollution with local rehabilitation plans and examine their potential synergy with other climate change-biodiversity measures,
5. To review and develop hydrological models for cutaway peatlands in order to predict the impacts of peatland drainage and peat extraction on downstream flooding, hydrographic peaks and environmental flows and thus to assess expected pollution levels in affected streams.