Wester Ross mountain could be set for peatland restoration
BEN Mór Coigach could be set to see peatland restoration take place following a proposal from the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
The application outlines plans for Phase 2 of Ben Mór Coigach’s peatland restoration, proposed to take place between August 2026 and March 2027.
It would take place on the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s reserve on Ben Mór Coigach, three miles south-east of Achiltibuie.
The project would follow techniques approved by Peatland ACTION, who would also fund the project. Peatland ACTION funding — from Scottish Government — primarily supports on-the-ground peatland restoration activities and is open for applications from eligible land managers who have peatlands that would benefit from restoration.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust application, which is under consideration by Highland Council, states: “The restoration site covers 218 hectares and is located in an area of mainly blanket bog at an altitude of between 120m and 420m.
“The site contains erosion primarily consisting of hags and microerosion, with some gullies and small bare peat areas. Blanket bog vegetation found adjacent to these drainage features indicates that the habitat is drying out. Many of the hags have bare peat and eroding edges, indicating that the peat is being continually eroded by the weathering forces of wind, water and frost.
“It would be beneficial to rewet the site by constructing dams which will arrest further erosion and favour the growth of Sphagnum and other vegetation to form new peat over time. The overall aim of this work is to reduce loss of peat and its stored carbon from the site and to place the peatland on the route to becoming a healthy bog ecosystem able to sequester carbon from the atmosphere.”
View the full application on the Highland Council’s e-planning portal.