Significant progress is being made to restore damaged peatlands in the Cairngorms National Park and deliver on our climate change commitments. In 2023, our Peatland ACTION team and partners restored 1,345 hectares of peatland, the third year in a row they have exceeded their target.

Peatland restoration is one of the key deliverables in our Partnership Plan and is crucial to capturing carbon, with one hectare of restored peat saving between two and 14 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year. Restoration work also improves water quality and storage, as well as providing an enriched habitat for a range of species.

A crucial aspect of the project is providing rural jobs and supporting the local economy. Peatland restoration requires specific knowledge, which is why we created a new entrants’ scheme to train up contractors to be able to undertake this delicate work.

In the past three years, five local companies have taken on contracts as a result of the scheme and received training for 12 employees. NatureScot also supported the training of a new machine operator under an apprenticeship scheme.

For more information head to cairngorms.co.uk/peatland-action.