New funding released to support peatland restoration projects

A new round of funding is being made available for peatland restoration projects across Wales.

Landowners are being encouraged to apply for a share of a £700k funding pot aimed at restoring these rare landscapes.

Launched this week, the new peatland restoration grant offers between £10K-£250K to develop and deliver peatland restoration projects over the next 12 months.

The Welsh Government funded scheme is allocated through the National Peatland Action Programme (NPAP) which is managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

This new flexible grant offers opportunities to both landowners new to peatland restoration and those with ‘shovel-ready’ plans.

Applications are open until 18 March 2025, with further webinar guidance available.

Climate emergency

Mannon Lewis, NRW’s Strategic Projects lead for NPAP said: “Peatland covers only 4% of Wales yet stores 30% of our land-based carbon and is vital to tackle the Climate and Nature emergencies.

“As 90% of our peatlands are damaged, they actively release harmful greenhouse gases. In contrast, restored healthy wet peatland continuously forms peat layers that capture carbon. So, peat at a depth of 30cm has captured carbon for around 300 years, including the carbon from our industrial age.

“Offering this open competitive Peatland Restoration Grant is one way NPAP can support partners across Wales to achieve increasingly ambitious restoration goals for the benefit of future generations.”

Targets

The Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies added: “Earlier this year we announced that we’d already beaten our peatland restoration targets – this means we’re saving a huge 8,000 tonnes of carbon a year! Thanks to the National Peatland Action Programme, we’re well on our way in ensuring these precious habitats continue to help combat climate change by learning to survive and adapt in our ever-changing climate.

This new Peatland Restoration Grant is another step forward to accelerate restoration and I encourage landowners in Wales to apply.”

Since 2022 Wales’ National Peatland Action Programme has distributed 26 competitive grants worth £1.4M.

Information about the work funded through NPAP is publicly available through the Welsh Peatland Data Map and examples of the over 100 possible actions can be found in the NPAP peatland restoration glossary.

The application deadline for the Peatland Restoration Grant is 18 March 2025. Guidance and application details are on the NPAP grants page. In addition, potential applicants can register for free Welsh and English guidance webinars on 6 February 2024.