05 Aug Supporting Professional Development: Peatland Habitat Restoration Training
On 23 and 24 July 2026 we welcomed Dr Mike Shewring and Joey Pickard of Adfer Natur CIC for a two-day course in peatland habitat restoration.
The course was attended by eight ecologists from our Welsh and Oxfordshire offices and guest attendee Laura Cottrell from Dulas Ltd. All are involved in projects where peat is a key consideration, including proposed onshore wind and mixed renewables schemes in upland sites. These projects have the opportunity to deliver a net benefit for biodiversity through peatland habitat restoration.
The first day of training was in the classroom. Following a short introduction to peatlands, their extent, types and carbon storage function, we had a very interesting session on peatland hydrology. After lunch we moved on to peatland restoration. This starts with conceptual modelling of how a peatland currently functions so that opportunities and constraints to restoration can be identified, and a vision, with associated objectives, can be established. Baseline surveys of the peat resource, hydrology and habitats present, if not already available, are carried out to inform management prescriptions and enable changes to be monitored. Selecting realistic objectives, that are measurable and achievable within the lifespan of your project is key to being able to identify positive trends.
The late afternoon of Day 1 and all of Day 2 was spent on Case Studies. Habitat restoration work at a range of South Wales sites (principally delivered through the Lost Peatlands of South Wales project 2019-2025) was summarised in the classroom, we then visited these sites so we could visualise the measures and their outcomes. A lot of the restoration work has had experimental elements to it, building on management practices from Scotland, Europe and Canada and applying these in a Welsh context. It was clear from the training that we need to learn from these practices when considering appropriate management techniques. It was also clear that in many cases management objectives based around hydrological change may be far more appropriate than botanical objectives, and that management needs to be adaptive in nature.
We would like to thank Mike and Joey for delivering such an engaging and informative course and look forward to applying the knowledge gained to achieve positive outcomes for peatland habitats across our projects.
Owain Gabb (BSG Director) said: “This was an excellent couple of days of training. Mike and Joey worked with us to design training that addressed our specific requirements and delivered a very well-constructed course. Visiting the sites covered by the Case Studies, seeing both successful and unsuccessful management initiatives, and looking at peatland recovery at various stages after management interventions had taken place was hugely valuable. The training will give us a lot more confidence in the production of well-reasoned and robust habitat management plans with realistic objectives.”
