Peatland ACTION - What we do

The true worth of our peatlands is becoming increasingly recognised. As stores of carbon they are important in tackling climate change and as the basis of rural farming, sporting, tourism and crofting they are vital to the economy.  They also play a role in flood regulation, water quality and support nationally and internationally important biodiversity. 

 

Peatlands are one of Scotland’s largest degraded ecosystems.  When peatlands are degraded the benefits they bring are lost, in fact they become sources of carbon instead of sinks – contributing to climate change rather than mitigating it. 

In late 2012, the Scottish Government allocated funds to an NatureScot-led peatland restoration project ‘Peatland ACTION’ to kick-start the restoration challenge. 

What have we achieved?

Since 2012 Peatland ACTION, working in partnership with others, has set over 25,000 ha of degraded peatland on the road to recovery.

Building on a winning formula

Peatland ACTION Project Officers have played a pivotal role in the success of the project, many having now been in-post for several years and have developed substantial expertise in advising on peatland restoration. Feedback from grant recipients praised the independent and expert advice from Project Officers, who are based around Scotland both in NatureScot and partner organisations.

Our partners

We work in partnership with a wide range of organisations.  Our project officers are hosted both within NatureScot and the following organisations.

Cairngorms National Park Authority
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority
Crichton Carbon Centre
Tweed Forum
Lochaber Fisheries Trust
Scottish Water
Shetland Amenity Trust
Carloway Estate Trust

We also work closely with others to spread our message, helping us reach our target audiences.

IUCN UK Peatlands Programmes
Heather Trust
Scottish Land and Estates
Butterfly Conservation – ‘Bogsquad’
Forestry and Land Scotland

Awards

• RSPB's Nature of Scotland Awards - Nature and Climate Action - Finalist (2020)
• The Project won the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management’s Best Practice Large Scale Nature Conservation Award in 2016;
• RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Awards - Innovation Award - Winner (2015)
  • Cairngorms Peatland Restoration Project wins RSPB Innovation Award

Social media

Follow us on Twitter @PeatlandACTION, and don't forget to tag @nature_scot and use our hashtag #PeatlandACTION especially if we've funded your peatland restoration project.