A first-of its kind competitive grant in Wales offering grants between £50,000 and £250,000 to support peatland restoration have launched.
The new competitive delivery grants, from a total funding pot of £500,000, are suitable for farmers and landowners with a plan ready to restore peatland.
Peatland is the most valuable land resource in Wales for carbon storage, given that it stores about 30% of the its soil-based carbon.
The new grant will see activity and equipment on site, putting into practice some of over 100 possible intervention techniques, to restore peatland to a healthy bog or fen habitat.
It follows two rounds of development grants offered in 2022-2023 to plan for ‘shovel-ready’ peatland restoration.
The funds are part of a more extensive peatland restoration action funded by Welsh government to the value of over £2.5m over the next two years.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) chief executive Clare Pillman said: "I’m pleased to see that landowners and farmers can now consider a new funded pathway to peatland restoration, through this new delivery grant.
"With 4% of peatland surface land cover in Wales, 90% is considered to be in a deteriorating condition and emitting greenhouse gases."
Wales' Minister for Climate Change Julie James encouraged landowners and farmers to apply for the new grant.
"When peatlands are in good health they are our greatest terrestrial carbon sink, they host an abundance of flora and wildlife, and they filtrate the water we drink.
"When left in disrepair they can accelerate climate change, become biodiversity deserts and lose their ability to protect us from floods."
The closing date for the delivery grant application window is 1 July.
