Priority 2 – Peatland management

Proposed Scottish Natural Heritage activities

• develop Scottish Natural Heritage advice on the management of peatland and wetland habitats to take account of carbon storage, alongside the biodiversity importance of the habitats;
• develop Scottish Natural Heritage advice on the prescriptions required to manage peatland on SSSIs and in the wider countryside through SRDP/RDC incentives;
• advise planning authorities who have to consult Scottish Natural Heritage in cases which involve the working of peat. A number of permissions are due to expire within 5 years and there may be applications for renewal. Scottish Natural Heritage will need to advise in relation to industrial extraction of peat for 1) domestic and industrial heat - energy production; 2) burning for non-energy purposes (e.g. malting); and 3) horticultural and soil conditioning products.