Scotland’s Climate Week – peatland focus
As part of Scotland’s Climate Week, our Peatland Action Officer Guy Cole, shares his thoughts on the recent IUCN Peat Programme Conference, and takes a look at one of the contractors carrying out important peatland restoration work in the National Park.
Earlier this month, Guy Cole, Peatland Action Project Officer with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority attended the first day of the IUCN Peat Programme Conference. The conference brings together everyone with an interest in peatlands. The focus of this year’s conference is on Peat, People and Nature.
As part of this Scotland’s Climate Week, Guy shared his thoughts and learnings from the conference, as well as highlighting one of the many fantastic examples of those dedicated to carrying this vital work out on the ground in the National Park.
Many of the day one speakers focussed on the people involved in peatland restoration and community engagement. It was great to hear the variety of people involved in our peatlands being celebrated. Landowners, local communities, practitioners and contractors have all contributed to restoring peatlands.
Also mentioned was the investment contractors are making in equipment and training. This is something that really benefits our projects within the National Park. Contractors increasing their capacity has helped us to expand the number of projects we run each year.
One such contractor who we work with frequently is Daniel Carnegie, owner of DC Restoration Contracts Ltd. You can read more about Daniel’s experience and expertise as a peatland restoration contractor in the case study outlined later in this piece.
The conference also announced the publication of the UK Peatland Strategy Progress Report. It was motivating to read in the report that 250,000 hectares of restoration work have been undertaken in the UK in the last 30 years. However, this is a long way off the current target and represents just 10% of damaged peatlands in the UK.
The report stresses the need for increasing rates of restoration work to meet our current target. It also highlights that jobs in the peatland sector have doubled in the last four years. This shows how quickly the sector has grown and the need for further growth to reach national targets.
Last year, we collaborated with four estates to restore 448 hectares of peatland within the National Park. This year, we are working with eight estates, aiming to deliver 1,000 hectares of restoration. We are still seeking landowners who are interested in potential peatland restoration projects and are currently looking for opportunities for the upcoming year.
If you would like to discuss a potential project, please contact us at peatland@lochlomond-trossachs.org
CASE STUDY: Daniel Carnegie, DC Restoration Contracts Ltd.
Daniel Carnegie, from Comrie in Perthshire, runs his own peatland restoration business. He started working as a self-employed contractor in peatland restoration in 2021 and has had a steady stream of work ever since. Given the demand for his services, he now employs two other staff who have been trained to deliver what is an incredibly specialised skillset, in what can be extremely challenging landscapes and weather conditions.
He said: “There’s massive satisfaction in this type of work. We call it ‘tidying up the hill’, where you start off looking at a hill that’s black, with bare bits everywhere, and by the time you’ve finished, the hags have gone and it’s green. And you know you’re doing something important too, helping with climate change.
“It was just me when I started out but there’s three of us now and I might need to start a fourth operator this year. What worries me about hiring more staff, is that I can’t always keep them busy as there isn’t 100% job security, as the current funding model doesn’t offer a long-term, regular stream of funding, and can take time to process.
Despite the challenges which exist within what is an emerging green industry, Daniel remains committed to peatland restoration; “Peatland work needs to be ramped up, it needs to happen faster, and organisations know that – so the work and the demand is definitely there.
“Previously I’ve done other work on farms and driving but my whole business is now based around peatland restoration, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Business is good and I’ve managed to upgrade my diggers to newer machines. We’ve also used the knowledge and experience we’ve gained on the ground to create special widespread tracks which stop the digger from sinking in. We need this type of equipment but as it currently doesn’t exist elsewhere – we’ve made it ourselves.
Our focus will always be on delivering the best possible job. The quality of our work is what really speaks for the business, and we take pride in it. We recently returned to Ardvorlich to finish a job we couldn’t complete last year due to the stalking season. It was really rewarding to wrap that up for Richard Cooper, who we work with frequently as part of the National Park’s Peatland Action team.