Peatland restoration is a nature-based solution to the climate and ecological crises. Healthy bogs can lock up and store large amounts of carbon however, if degraded, may instead emit more carbon than they remove.
Healthy, functioning peatlands can help mitigate the anticipated impacts of climate change such as increased rainfall events by storing and slowly releasing water back into the river network. Healthy peatlands are also home to an array of birds, plants, fungi, invertebrates and microorganisms making them an incredibly unique and biodiverse habitat.
A fifth of Scotland is covered in peat but up to 80% of that is currently degraded and emitting carbon (6.0MtCO2e per year across Scotland, almost equal to that released from Scotland's 2.5 million homes).