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UHI North set to launch new peatland restoration training class





The New Peatland ACTION / UHI North course will look to restore around 250,000 hectares of degraded land identified by the Scottish government. Photo: Tim Winterburn
The New Peatland ACTION / UHI North course will look to restore around 250,000 hectares of degraded land identified by the Scottish government. Photo: Tim Winterburn

A new peatland restoration project is to be launched to Caithness businesses in early September.

The ‘For Peat’s Sake’ project will commence with a series of classes taught by UHI North in conjunction with Peatland ACTION.

Titled, ‘An Introduction to Peatland Restoration’, this new course will consist of practical and classroom learning in an effort to revive interest in the peatland sector which is in desperate need of new recruits and environmental protection across the Highlands.

The course will offer lessons in local ecology, restoration techniques, and wildlife habits as well as hill working safety.

The five day seminar will run from September 2nd, with an optional one-day ATV Argo training course also on offer. Classes will be held at the RSPB Flows Field Centre in Forsinard.

It is hoped that the course will help to regenerate underdeveloped peatland areas identified by the Scottish Government within its Peatland Restoration Targets, and pinpoint areas that are likely to remain unprotected.

This project comes as the Flow Country aims to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Anne Murray, a NatureScot Peatland ACTION Workforce Development Adviser, said: “We’re delighted to collaborate with UHI North to develop and deliver this important training. Helping businesses develop the skills to engage in the peatland restoration sector is a key focus of our workforce development activities in the Peatland ACTION programme.

“Peatland restoration projects create opportunities for businesses across the rural economy and this training course will be a good introduction to the skills and knowledge needed to engage in this growing sector.”

With UHI North supporting the project alongside, Peatland ACTION are a national programme committed to restoring peatlands across Scotland; areas of marshland that are responsible for sustaining large amounts of wildlife and fauna across the country.

By rebuilding peatland, biodiversity can be encouraged to return and carbon can be locked below the surface, helping to create future wilderness hotbeds and reducing the effects of the climate crisis.

Previous ACTION projects in the last year have restored around 10,000 hectares of peatland thanks to funding provided directly from the Scottish Government. It will look to invest £250 million to rejuvenate a total of 250,000 hectares by 2030.

An Introduction to Peatland Restoration and other ‘For Peat’s Sake’ initiatives will be funded via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund - allowing Caithness and Highland based businesses to access the course for free.


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