This, the 10th annual IUCN UK Peatland Programme conference, ‘Peatlands: From Strategy to Action’ was hosted as a virtual event in partnership with the Welsh Peatland Sustainable Management Scheme (SMS) Project.

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme 2022 conference focused on how peatland restoration can be delivered at scale, building on the knowledge gained from projects around the UK.

This, the 9th in our conference series, celebrated the 10th year of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme partnership. A huge amount has been achieved by the UK peatland community over the last 10 years.

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme 2023 conference, with the theme of ‘Beyond Restoration’, allowed us to take a look into the future of peatland management, reflect on the collective direction of travel and explore mechanisms to secure the future of UK peatlands in the long-term.

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme 2021 conference focused on peatlands and the people behind them, exploring peatland conversation, restoration and sustainable management in action as well as the partnerships, evidence, policy and practice driving progress towards the UK Peatland Strategy goals.

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme provides a valuable convening function.

Our annual conferences present opportunities for policy makers, scientists, land managers and practitioners from different disciplines to share their knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of peatland conservation and management.

‘Peatlands, People and Nature’, was the theme for our 2024 conference held in Aviemore, Scotland, between 17 - 19 September.

Details of the first day of the programme.

Details of the second day of the programme.

Our 2025 Conference will be taking place on 30th September – 2nd October 2025 in Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The conference will explore the deep cultural associations and sense of identity connected to peatlands in Northern Ireland, and policy drivers reflecting changing attitudes to peatland management. It will also examine the importance of water in these landscapes and the role of peatlands at catchment scale as a nature-based solution.

Peatlands form the UK’s largest extent of semi-natural habitat and play an important role in conserving a wide range of species. Many of these species are rare and/or declining and are priorities for conservation action.