Peatland ACTION is calling on everyone with a passion for one of the country’s most iconic and vital landscapes to get involved in shaping its first ever industry standard.

Scotland has around two million hectares of peatlands, representing almost a quarter of our land surface. When they are in good condition, peatlands are carbon sinks, estimated to hold the equivalent of 140 years’ worth of the country’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions, providing clean drinking water and flood regulation in our everyday lives. They offer a special and unique home for wildlife, and they are vital to farming, sporting, tourism and crofting economies. They are also, however, currently one of our largest degraded ecosystems, making them sources of carbon contributing to climate change.

Scotland’s Peatland Standard will provide shared technical guidance for everyone involved in protecting, restoring and managing peatland. It will introduce collective principles and clarity on legal and good practice requirements, improving the sector through quality and consistency.