Restoring the Land, Protecting the Future: 10 Years of Peatland ACTION in the National Park
Across Scotland, peatlands play an unsung but vital role in tackling the climate and nature crises. These ancient, waterlogged habitats act as powerful carbon stores, rich ecosystems, and are a key feature of our iconic landscape. Yet when damaged or degraded, they release carbon into the atmosphere, in fact given the current poor state of much of Scotland’s peatlands – they are Scotland’s second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after transport.
That’s why, as we mark World Peatlands Day today (2nd June), we’re also proud to celebrate a decade of the Peatland ACTION programme in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, and the huge impact our team, local landowners, estates and communities who have made in restoring this vital habitat – but we have plenty of work to do.
A Decade of Action for Nature
Since the first Peatland ACTION project began here in 2015, the National Park Authority has restored more than 2,580 hectares of degraded peatland across 29 sites – an area larger roughly the size of 500 Hampden Parks combined. This restoration work is a central part of our vision, as set out in the National Park Partnership Plan, to make the Park nature positive and carbon negative by 2045.
In 2024/25 alone, we delivered 697.5 hectares of peatland restoration across eight major projects, surpassing our annual target. Each hectare restored represents a win for biodiversity, climate action, and water quality.
Leading the Way to Net Zero
As one of the first National Parks in the world to sign up to the UN’s Race to Zero initiative, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park has committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2035. Peatland restoration is not just a nature project, it’s a climate solution, in fact – peatlands are Scotland’s climate superpower. Healthy peatlands absorb and store carbon, locking it away for thousands of years. And here in the National Park, our peatlands are helping deliver on our long-term goals to support biodiversity, reduce emissions, and supporting our communities to adapt to a changing climate.
Training the Next Generation of Green Skills
In Glen Dochart, one of our recent restoration sites, we supported a trainee machine operator through the Peatland ACTION Machine Operator Training Scheme. Under expert guidance, they gained hands-on experience in peatland restoration techniques like drain blocking, trench bunding and hag reprofiling – all part of developing the skilled rural workforce we need for a greener future.
This work is possible thanks to partnerships with local contractors like Daniel Carnegie, who’ve developed specialist restoration skills over the years while working with us. Their innovation, flexibility and expertise have been central to the success of our programme – and demonstrate how peatland restoration can be a driver for Scotland’s green economy.
Connecting People to Peatlands
While much of our work happens in remote or hard-to-access places, we’ve also been working to make peatlands more visible and understood by the public. A new peatland display at our Balmaha Visitor Centre, developed by our Ranger Service, helped visitors discover the hidden value of peatland habitats and learn more about our restoration work.
This kind of engagement is essential. Restoring nature isn’t just about fixing damaged land – it’s about helping people care and meaningfully connect with nature.
Looking Ahead
With 2,583 hectares restored so far, we’re now working towards a 2030 target of 5,900 hectares. We know we can only reach this ambition by continuing to collaborate – with communities, landowners, estates and local contractors. We’ve learned a lot over the past 10 years – how to adapt, innovate, and respond to the complex challenges of restoring peatland at scale. But we also know we can’t do it alone, and our learnings in this emerging sector will continue with each new project.
So, on this World Peatlands Day, we want to say thank you to all the landowners, partners and contractors who’ve helped us get this far. And we want to extend an open invitation to anyone in the National Park who may have peatland on their land: get in touch with our Peatland ACTION team. We can offer funding, technical expertise, and on-the-ground support to restore and protect these special places.
Together, we can continue to restore nature, reduce emissions, and build a better future for the National Park and everyone who lives, works and visits here.
Learn more about our peatland restoration work here.
Guy Cole,
Peatland ACTION Project Officer, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Park Authority