Friday 17 March 2017

New £8m peatland restoration plan to cut emissions

The Scottish Government has launched an £8 million fund to help restore peatlands and cut emissions.

Around 1.7 million hectares of Scotland are covered in peatlands.

If left in a degraded condition, they produce greenhouse gas emissions rather than act as a sink for soaking up carbon.

The new funding will double the amount of peatland already restored from almost 10,000 hectares to 20,000.

The government expects to restore 250,000 hectares by 2032.

Scottish Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “Restoring our peatlands and taking advantage of their value as a natural resource is crucial if we are to continue to build on our world leading low carbon ambitions and reduce emissions by 66% by 2032.

“By increasing our investment, more communities will be able to transform and use peatlands as an open space, regenerating it as a habitat for wildlife and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Last month the Scottish Government provided almost £10 million of funding to support local action to tackle climate change.