Peatland Restoration: Healing Britain's Carbon Store

Beneath the wild uplands of Britain lies a hidden climate powerhouse. UK peatlands store around 3 billion tonnes of carbon—more than all the forests of Britain, France, and Germany combined. But decades of damage have turned many peatlands from carbon sinks into sources, releasing stored carbon that took thousands of years to accumulate.

Now, a restoration revolution is underway. Across Scotland, Wales, and the English uplands, peatlands are being rewet, restored, and returned to active growth. It's one of the most powerful climate actions we can take—and it brings remarkable wildlife back too.

The Carbon Giants

Peat forms when dead plant material can't fully decompose because it's waterlogged. Layer upon layer builds up over millennia, locking carbon away. Britain's peatlands started forming around 10,000 years ago after the last Ice Age. Some are over 10 metres deep—10,000 years of accumulated carbon.

To put this in context: UK peatland carbon emissions equal those of around 7 million cars. Restoring our peatlands could deliver 10% of the carbon savings needed to reach net zero.

UK Peatlands

The UK holds a globally significant share of the world's peatlands. Most of our peat is "blanket bog"—a type found only in the wettest, coolest parts of the world. We have around 13% of the world's total.

Damage and Decline

An estimated 80% of UK peatlands are in damaged condition. The carbon that took millennia to accumulate is being released in decades. Key causes include:

Restoration in Practice

Peatland restoration is scaling up rapidly, driven by climate and biodiversity targets. The goal is to rewet damaged peat, stop carbon loss, and return peatlands to active peat-forming condition.

Ditch Blocking

The most common restoration technique. Drainage ditches are blocked with peat, plastic, or wooden dams to raise water levels. Water spreads across the bog surface, rewetting dried peat and creating conditions for sphagnum to return.

Tree Removal

Conifers planted on peatland are being felled and removed. This allows water tables to rise and light to reach the bog surface. The Flow Country, once threatened by forestry, is now seeing massive tree removal for restoration.

Sphagnum Reintroduction

Sphagnum moss is the key peat-forming plant. On badly degraded sites, sphagnum can be propagated and spread to kickstart recovery. This "moss bombing" accelerates the return of active peat formation.

Grazing Management

Reducing sheep numbers allows vegetation to recover. Some projects remove sheep entirely; others use light grazing by cattle or native ponies which has less impact on sphagnum.

Peatland Wildlife

Healthy peatlands support a distinctive community of species adapted to harsh, wet, nutrient-poor conditions:

Plants

• Sphagnum mosses – the peat-formers, in multiple species and colours
• Cotton grass – white fluffy seed heads iconic of upland bog
• Sundews and butterwort – carnivorous plants supplementing nutrients
• Cloudberry – arctic-alpine rarity at its southern limit
• Cranberry and bog rosemary – low shrubs of wet bog
• Cross-leaved heath and crowberry – dwarf shrubs of drier areas

Birds

• Golden plover – breeding on open moorland and bog
• Dunlin – small wader nesting in damp tussocks
• Curlew – Europe's most threatened bird, needs wet uplands
• Greenshank – elegant wader of Scottish bogs
• Short-eared owl – daylight-hunting predator of voles
• Red grouse – heather moorland specialist

Other Wildlife

• Large heath butterfly – Britain's only peatland butterfly
• Azure hawker dragonfly – rare dragonfly of Scottish bogs
• Palmate newt – breeding in boggy pools
• Mountain hare – turning white in winter
• Adder – common on drier peatland edges

Where to Visit

Experience peatland landscapes and see restoration in action: