Excavators Break Ground on The Flow Country Green Finance Initiative’s First Peatland Restoration Project
Last Monday marked an exciting milestone for the Flow Country Green Finance Initiative as excavators began work on our first peatland restoration project. Covering approximately 880 hectares, this project is a significant step towards regenerative agriculture and a more sustainable future for our land, economy, and community.
The restoration, scheduled in two phases, will focus on blocking and reprofiling artificial drains using peat dams, along with an element gully blocking with peat surface bunds and hagg reprofiling. These efforts will help restore the peatlands’ ability to retain water, sequester carbon, and support biodiversity.
- Phase 1: Restoring 600 hectares from August 2024 to January 2025.
- Phase 2: Restoring 280 hectares from August 2025 to November 2025.
The Flow Country Green Finance Initiative is a locally-led initiative to raise the funds necessary to restore peatlands at scale, blending public and private finance. The Flow Country Green Finance Initiative will help achieve our twin climate goals of reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. This is a vital part of Scotland’s Net Zero ambitions, and we’re proud to be leading the way
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to everyone involved in reaching this significant milestone. The dedication and hard work of our team and partners have been essential in bringing this project to life. A tremendous amount of preparation and collaboration has taken place behind the scenes to reach this point. From securing funding to developing restoration plans, the dedication and hard work of our Green Finance Initiative team have been instrumental. This is truly a team effort, involving farmers, local communities, public and private financiers, environmental experts, and government agencies, all working together towards a common goal.
This is just the beginning, and we are excited to lead the way in peatland restoration and climate action. If you have sites that might be suitable for peatland restoration, we would be happy to discuss how we can work together to achieve our shared goals. Find out more here!
This project is supported by The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS). Delivered by NatureScot in collaboration with The Scottish Government and in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Scottish Government’s Peatland ACTION Fund delivered in partnership with NatureScot and other agencies.
