NI Water owns around 2,000 hectares of peatland. Peatlands are nature’s carbon store and because of that, their protection and restoration is crucial in providing a nature-based solution to climate change at both a global and local level. The better condition peatlands are in, the more carbon they remove from the atmosphere and store in the peat. But if they are in bad condition, they can begin to release carbon in the form of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Since 2013, NI Water’s Sustainable Catchment Area Management Practice Northern Ireland (SCAMP NI) team has been working alongside key stakeholders to restore our peatland areas to a functioning bog which absorbs carbon and provides habitats for birds and animals. Our flagship Garron Plateau Bog Restoration Project has restored 1188 hectares of globally rare blanket bog which is sequestering c.1992 tonnes of carbon per year. We are currently identifying further areas within our landholding where degraded peatland restoration is appropriate and will improve the natural value of the bog to sustain native plants, animals and begin to absorb carbon again as it should.