Scotland’s peatlands are set for a £20 million investment that will see over 12,000 hectares - the equivalent of 30,000 football pitches - brought back to health.    

The highest-ever round of NatureScot Peatland ACTION restoration funding will target 64 so far undisclosed degraded peatland sites across Scotland. However, it seems certain that some of the sites selected will be in the Western Isles as they contain extensive areas of degraded peatland.

Almost £15 million of the restoration work will be carried out in 2025/26 alone, supporting at least 400 green jobs in the sector.

Commenting on the record funding, Claudia Rowse, NatureScot Deputy Director - Green Economy, said: “I’m delighted that our funding will restore so much more peatland over the next year. The best thing about restoring peatlands is that everyone benefits. As well as being good for nature and climate action, it provides jobs, often in remote rural locations, and helps to protect communities and businesses from flooding and wildfire risk. It’s a triple win for people, nature and climate.”

An extra £1m has been allocated to support the design of a further 12,000 hectares of new restoration projects. This will ensure the pace and scale of restoration work continue to increase over the next few years, says NatureScot.

Healthy peatlands - where the water table is close to the surface to keep the peat wet - are the world’s largest and most efficient land-based store of carbon. Despite covering only 3% of the land, they store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests. They are also vital for many kinds of wildlife that can’t live anywhere else. And Scotland punches above its weight when it comes to peat – with 13% of the planet’s blanket bogs found here.

But around three-quarters of our peatlands have been damaged by historic drainage, forestry, and overgrazing, drying them out so that they are emitting carbon rather than storing it. They are currently responsible for 15% of Scotland’s annual carbon emissions – around the same as transport.

NatureScot Peatland ACTION currently funds up to 100% of the costs of peatland restoration, as well as providing advice, training and support to design, develop, deliver and monitor the projects. 

Applications are considered annually on a competitive basis to ensure the funding delivers as many hectares of restored peatlands as possible, with the best value for money. To support long-term management, many of the projects are also being progressed through the Peatland Code.