Two Case Studies Highlight the Benefits of Peatland Restoration for Farmers

Two films from NatureScot Peatland ACTION have recently highlighted how peatland restoration has benefited two upland farms in very different locations.

Joyce Campbell, who farms at Armadale in Sutherland reports that since restoration work was carried out, she has already enjoyed a noticeable reduction in the number of sheep trapped or drowned in the deep drains that used to criss-cross the land. Longer term she hopes that as well as improving the land for wildlife, the work will future proof her business, foreseeing possible carbon taxes or penalties for emitting carbon from the land.

 

 

Cora and David Cooper also explained the many ways in which the work has benefitted their business, as well as improving the wildlife and reducing the carbon emissions from the badly eroded peatlands they inherited when they bought the farm. Black loss has significantly dropped, the land is far easier to access for gathering and lambing, and the slower flow of water off the hill has reduced flash flooding.

 

 

 

You can find both films, along with a suite of other case studies, on the NatureScot Peatland ACTION YouTube playlist.

Those in and around the Flow Country can also hear from Joyce as part of a Peatland ACTION and Farm Advisory Service joint event on peatland restoration taking place on 27 November 2025. Book a space via the Farm Advisory Service event page

 

Image: Joyce Campbell of Armadale Farm. ©Peatland ACTION/NatureScot