The European Nature Trust is working to restore peatlands at Alladale Wilderness Reserve and increase the amount of carbon being stored in peatlands. These dense wetland environments form through the gradual accumulation of vegetation and other organic matter over the years. They are the most carbon-rich terrestrial ecosystem – critical landscapes to mitigate climate change.

Yet, during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, ploughs were used to drain thousands of miles of peatland in Scotland. Scientists estimate that more than eight million tonnes of CO2 were released into the atmosphere through peatland drainage in Scotland alone.