PLANS for the fourth phase of restoration works to approximately 1224 hectares of "degraded peatland" on a Scottish island estate have been set out.
Details of the project by at the Morsgail Estate, on the west side of the Isle of Lewis, by Morsgail Peatland Preservation Ltd are contained in an application to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, giving the planning authority prior notification of the works.
Peatlands are areas of wetland that support habitats and species that are important for biodiversity, while also protecting the wider ecosystem by improving water quality and reducing the severity of flooding.
Covering nearly two million hectares, Scotland is home to two-thirds of the UK’s peatlands, but nearly three-quarters of the country’s peatlands are currently degraded.
Documents submitted with the application state that the area of the proposed project "is made up of mainly hagg and gully erosion with some areas of artificial drains," and that the aim of the restoration project is the re-wetting of the site, raising water levels, “creating a near-natural water table and optimum conditions for bog plant species to thrive, and preventing further degradation.”
This will result, the documents state, “in reduced carbon emissions (and eventually active carbon sequestration), improved water quality and enhanced biodiversity.”
The work will follow techniques set out in the ‘Peatland ACTION Technical Compendium’ to “block any drainage features, stabilise eroding peat and help establish peatland vegetation,” and low ground pressure machines will be used to avoid damaging sensitive habitats or disturbing soils, with no peat being imported to the site, the documents confirm.
The scheme, prepared by consultants ADLnature, proposes works running from April 2027 to March 2029.
The site borders the North Harris SSSI, SAC and Mountains SPA to the southwest, and a National Scenic Area is present.
Schedule 1 birds are recorded on site according to the NBN Atlas, the documents confirm, with golden plover, greenshank and white-tailed eagle sighted during fieldwork, and work during the breeding season is “likely to be restricted by exclusion zones.”
Most watercourses on the site have a high – 10 per cent – annual likelihood of flooding, and the documents state that restoration “slows the flow of water from a site so will reduce peak flood flows and have a beneficial impact upon downstream flooding.”
The project consultation process is underway with responses to the proposals awaited from NatureScot, from the local raptor group, and on both public and private water supplies, while peat slide risk assessments are “still to be carried out.”
No consultation has yet been undertaken on the historic environment, where features of archaeological interest lie within the site boundary, the application states.
The application also confirms that funding for the works will be applied for under the Peatland ACTION scheme, and that the project is to be registered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Peatland Code – a voluntary certification standard for UK peatland restoration projects.
The notification to the Comhairle has been made under Class 20A of permitted development regulations, which allows peatland restoration works to proceed, subject to prior notification to the planning authority, which then determines whether its prior approval is required for the details of the scheme.
