📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Peatland Action is a government funded project. More than 20% of Scotland is covered by peat. Our peatlands make a major contribution to our landscape, and define the wild character of much of northern and western Scotland. But peatlands occur throughout the country, with many bogs and fens just a short distance from most of our towns and cities. However, these areas contribute much more than dramatic scenery or green oases in our industrial heartland. As stores of carbon they are supremely important in helping to tackle climate change; as homes for nature they are special and unique; and as the raw ingredient of rural farming, tourism and crofting they are vital. They are also places where archaeological remains can lie preserved for hundreds, or even thousands, of years. Many other benefits flow from them, especially where they are in good health - clean water, lower flood risk, beautiful landscapes, and other defining characteristics of wild Scotland.
💼 What the programme involves
Most of Shetland’s hills are cloaked in a type of peatland known as “blanket bog” which is an internationally important wildlife habitat. Peatlands are also important because of their role in combating climate change. Peat is made up mostly from sphagnum mosses and cotton grass and is a huge carbon store (peat soils in Scotland contain almost 25 times as much carbon as all other plant life in the UK). Peatlands in good condition with an actively growing layer of sphagnum mosses can deliver annual greenhouse gas savings through carbon sequestration of up to 0.5 – 0.7 tonnes carbon per hectare per year. Unfortunately not all peatlands are in good condition and damaged peat bogs emit carbon dioxide. Peatland restoration projects generally aim to re-wet the bog so that peat forming bog mosses (Sphagnum mosses) and cotton grass can recover, remove eroding peat hags and re-vegetate bare areas of peat. Peatland restoration work will involve building dams to block erosion gulleys and create pools, re-profiling eroding peat hags and planting bog vegetation on areas of bare peat. Some of the work is quite heavy (building dams and re-profiling hags), but planting bog vegetation is less strenuous. The great thing about the work is that fairly simple methods have a big impact on the habitat as well as mitigating our carbon footprint. The crofters are keen to promote access to the site so that we can use it to spread the peatland restoration message so there will also be some work helping to construct boardwalks to enable folk to visit the site without damaging the fragile bog habitat.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Volunteers will stay in a local community hall. You will need sleeping bags and pillows along with other items that will ensure you are comfortable. Volunteers will have 3 meals a day. You are asked to bring your own snacks along.
📍 About the location
We will be working to restore an area of blanket bog on the hill up above the village of Cunningsburgh on the South Mainland of Shetland. The crofter, Hazel MacKenzie lives in Cunningsburgh. The site is only about a mile from the village but with stunning views of the east coast of Shetland and the island of Mousa.
⚠️ Requirements
There is a £20 extra fee (about €30) which should be in pounds to the group leader on the first day of the project. Due to the lack of funding we receive for our international work we ask volunteers to make a small contribution towards our costs. Volunteers can transfer by bank, but we ask you to phone or email first to receive our bank details.