PLEASE NOTE: In-person ticket sales have now closed. Remote tickets for Day 1 only are available until Sunday 15th September.
Our annual conference series provides a unique convening function for the UK peatland community which celebrates these unique and precious habitats. We bring together everyone with an interest in peatlands, from land managers to policy makers and scientists to restoration practitioners, to share their knowledge, enthusiasm and experience and seek solutions to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The key delivery partner and headline sponsor of this year's conference is Peatland ACTION, a national programme to restore peatlands across Scotland for the many benefits to both people and nature. Find out more about Peatland ACTION and the opportunities to engage with their work during the conference on our dedicated Peatland ACTION sponsor page.
This year’s event takes us to the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland and the Macdonald Aviemore Resort, where we’ll be exploring the theme ‘Peatlands, People and Nature’. We’ll showcase the opportunities that peatland restoration and healthy peatlands present in transitioning to a green economy, and their role as nature-based solutions which support people and biodiversity. We’ll also report on the findings from our UK Peatland Strategy Report, which will assess how far we’ve come and how far is still to go in our mission to restore and sustainably manage the UK’s peatlands.
To make our conferences as inclusive and accessible as we can, the conference will be delivered as a hybrid event, with remote attendance available for our plenary sessions on Tuesday 17 September. If you are attending in person and have any additional needs, do let us know by emailing info@iucn.org.uk and we will do our best to accommodate these.
What to expect
- Around 400 delegates at this year’s hybrid event. In-person delegates will be able to join the entire event or individual days. Online delegates will be able to join our plenary sessions on Tuesday 17 September only.
- Exhibition and networking opportunities at our evening poster session and meal on Tuesday 17 September, our evening conference dinner on Wednesday 18 September and throughout the event.
- Visits to locally important peatland sites on Wednesday 18 September, including options from a range of peatland habitats, and experience of different management and restoration techniques first-hand in a beautiful landscape.
- Deep-dives into a range of themed topics at our workshops and knowledge sharing sessions on Thursday 19 September.
Programme outline
Tuesday 17 September (see the full programme for day 1)
- Plenary sessions introducing the work of the Peatland Programme, our UK Peatland Strategy Report and a panel discussion with representatives from each of the four devolved nations of the UK. We’ll also feature community engagement through creative and citizen science approaches such as our Eyes on the Bog monitoring methodology, celebrate the work of our local partners and explore the opportunities for developing a green economy provided by peatlands.
- Buffet dinner and poster session featuring contributions from across the peatland community alongside our dedicated exhibition space for partners and sponsors. The exhibition space will be open to the public from 5 - 7pm. The deadline for poster abstracts is Friday 16th August.
- Peatland cinema and poetry, open to the public from 6 - 7pm and featuring the premiere of 'Sphagnum Portraits', a creative film commissioned by the IUCN UK Peatland Programme.
Wednesday 18 September (see the full programme for day 2)
- Choose from a variety of field trip options to local peatland sites, featuring different peatland habitats, management and restoration techniques and introducing a range of organisations involved in peatland management. Lunch and transport will be provided from the main conference venue and delegates will be required to select field trips in advance on a first come, first served basis. Field visit bookings are required by Friday 13th September.
- Conference dinner and ceilidh band evening entertainment.
Thursday 19 September (see the full programme for day 3)
- Choose one morning and one afternoon workshop or knowledge sharing session from a range of themes. Delegates will be required to select sessions in advance on a first come, first served basis. Workshop bookings are required by Friday 13th September.
- Topics this year will include:
- Working together at landscape scale on lowland peat
- Translational palaeoecology and the art of collaboration
- Delivering community benefits from peatland projects
- Digital MRVs for Peatland Code and other projects
- Linear developments on peatlands
- Assessing bog health using a simple condition matrix (classroom and field based session)
- Our future is peat (indoor and field based creative session)
- Native trees, peat and dynamic landscapes
- The need for a unified approach to peat depth
- Bringing back nature: biodiversity monitoring for a greener future
- Restoration standards and guidance
- Training and capacity building
- Closing plenary.
Booking tickets and sessions
Tickets are on sale via Ticket Tailor. In-person ticket sales have now closed. Remote ticket sales close on Sunday 15th September.
Field visits and workshops/knowledge sharing sessions must be booked in advance of the conference on a first come, first served basis. Once you have purchased your ticket, you will be informed how to book the session(s) of your choice.
Travel and accommodation
Accommodation and breakfast are not provided as part of our conference ticket options.
Find out more about travel to and accommodation in Aviemore.
Poster session
If you would like to present a poster at our session on Day 1, please email info@iucn.org.uk with your title and a short (50 words max) abstract. Please note that posters must be A0 portrait. The deadline for poster abstracts has now passed and we can no longer accept poster submissions.
Sponsorship and exhibition space
The Peatland Programme is a non-profit organisation and our conferences are only possible thanks to the support of our dedicated partners and sponsors. This year’s venue features extensive exhibition space in the Osprey Arena, and we have over 30 exhibitors joining us from a wide range of organisations.
Find out more about our headline sponsor Peatland ACTION and key sponsor McGowan Environmental.
Further information
Further announcements will be available on our website, X and LinkedIn channels, and in our quarterly newsletters. If you have any questions about our conference, or are interested in contributing to and/or sponsoring the event, please contact info@iucn.org.uk.
