Peatlands in Scotland – which cover almost a fifth of the country’s land - are some of the world’s rarest habitats and home to a variety of rare and unique wildlife. Not only are they great for boosting an area’s biodiversity, but they can help mitigate the effects of climate change by locking in carbon.

But in recent years, many of these blanket bogs have been drained or damaged. To help reverse this, the Scottish Government and Scottish National Heritage (SNH) launched the Peatland Action scheme.

What is the scheme?

The scheme is part of Scotland's National Peatland plan aimed at making the peatlands resilient enough to cope with the impacts of climate change.

It aims to help recover and restore thousands of hectares of Scotland’s peatlands. Scotland has invested around £8m to help restore these blanket bogs using innovative, simple and cost effective methods to maximise the area being restored.

Some restoration methods, such as those used in this project, involve re-profiling and turfing the bare peat using the surrounding vegetation to stabilise the bare eroding peat. This raises the water table and encourages the growth of vegetation, leading to greater carbon sequestration.

What is Strutt & Parker’s role?

Strutt & Parker recently secured a grant from SNH for a client to restore 70 hectares of degraded peatland as part of the scheme. In this project, we are acting as project leaders, and are heavily involved in the management of the project.

We went through the full application process including tendering, selection of methodology and detailed costings, and successfully received a grant for the restoration of 70 hectares. Getting funding for the scheme was a hugely competitive process, as it is oversubscribed and many applications were turned down.

Primarily, the work involves re-profiling peat haggs and gullies - of which there are around 40,000 metres in the 70 hectare site. We are overseeing these works, working alongside an Ecological Clerk of Works, the team of contractors and SNH.  

While funding for this year’s scheme is closed, we’re confident that another round of funding will open in one form or another. If you’re interested in taking part in the scheme, Strutt & Parker can apply for funding on your behalf, and oversee the whole project. For more details, call 01463 723592.