More than 100ha of peatland was restored in Wales during 2021/2022, according to a new Natural Resources Wales (NRW) report.
According to The National Peatland Action Programme: Year 2 report 2021-2022, published today (Tuesday, August 16), this surpasses the Welsh Government’s annual target of 650ha of peatland restored.
Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, welcomed both the report and milestone.
“Bogs might not sound very glamorous, but they are Wales’ unsung heroes – especially during prolonged periods of dry or wet weather, like we have seen recently,” she said.
“Their restoration is vital to our response to the nature and climate emergencies so this report by NRW is very welcome news and I want to thank them for their hard work in accelerating their efforts to peat the target.”
National Peatland Action Programme (NPAP) project manager Dr. Rhoswen Leonard said that the Welsh Government’s support revved up the team’s efforts in reaching 1000ha restored.
“Our success in delivering restoration activity on over 1000 hectares of peatland in a year reflects the collective passion of the NPAP team and our partners to achieve high nature, low-carbon targets for the benefit of the people of Wales,” she said.
“In support, Welsh Government inspires the urgency and Natural Resources Wales and our partners provide the momentum and joined-up capacity to make this Programme a success.”
The peatland was restored through various techniques such as contour bunding (low level peat banks) and peat dams (to block historic drainage drainage ditches).
According to the report, around 50% of the spend on restoration activity was delivered in collaboration with partners across Wales, funded by mechanisms including: Procurement, grants, land management agreements and a memorandum of agreement.
