Forestry and Land Scotland has "re-wetted" 10,000ha of peatland, which will save 87,800 tonnes of CO2 per year once fully recovered

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Work to restore thousands of hectares of damaged peatland on publicly owned forestry land including in the Flow Country has reached a milestone.

Forestry and Land Scotland said it has now “re-wetted” 10,000 hectares of peatland on land it manages.

Peatlands cover around a quarter of the land in Scotland and are important for storing carbon. The Flow Country in Caithness and Sutherland is considered globally significant and is currently applying to become a Unesco World Heritage Status site for its natural resources.

FLS estimates that when fully recovered the 10,000 hectares will permanently bring about emissions savings of 87,800 tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of taking about 63,000 new petrol cars in the UK off the road for a year.

The public body said the significant milestone had been reached through years of dedicated work undertaken by FLS staff and contractors working on sites across Scotland – including at Kintyre and Lochaber in the west, Carnwath and Flanders Moss in central Scotland and Skye and the Flow Country in the north.

Original Title: Restored Flow Country bogs contribute to 10,000ha of ‘re-wetted’ peatlands