26th June: Peatland restoration in Scotland increased by 25% over last year

PEATLAND restoration in Scotland has increased, with the number of peatland hectares put on the road to recovery growing by 25% between 2022 and 2023.

A report by NatureScot revealed on Friday that the nature agency’s Peatland ACTION team have put 5,000 ha of peatland on course for recovery.

Vital in the fight to tackle climate change, peat covers more than 20% of Scotland and is crucial for water quality, richly diverse landscapes, slowing floods and wildfires, sustaining rural jobs and storing carbon.

Peatlands in Scotland are estimated to hold the equivalent of 185 years’ worth of the country’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions.