Course: Learning Day - Peatland Restoration

Peatlands cover more than 20% of Scotland’s land area and yet much of this water-purifying, carbon-storing habitat is in poor condition. Vast areas of peatland across Scotland are now being ‘re-wetted’ after centuries of being drained. The carbon that healthy peatlands lock away is significant – the blanket bogs in the Flow Country alone contain more than three times the carbon found in all of Britain’s woodlands combined.

Join our Learning Day to explore this important ecosystem and learn more about how to survey and restore peatland areas. 

The Learning Day will cover:

• The key features of peatland ecosystems including common species, topographical characteristic and main erosional features
• How to distinguish between blanket bogs and raised bogs and fen ecosystems
• The importance of peatlands from the perspective of biodiversity, the atmosphere, hydrology and humans
• The requirement of field surveys, including peat depth, Vegetation and Condition Surveying and Herbivore Impact Assessments 
• The main threats to the integrity of peatland systems and their ability to support biodiversity, store carbon and act as hydrological buffers
• How to recognise the features that indicate healthy and less healthy peatland ecosystems
• To be aware of the most common restoration techniques and their effective application

This Learning Day is for you if:

• you’re a student, graduate or interested in pursuing a career within the rewilding/nature restoration sector
• you’re a land manager interested in seeing rewilding in action and starting your own rewilding journey
• you’re enthusiastic about rewilding and want to learn more about the restoration of peatland habitat