Peat spotlight in Wales!
Wales is set to showcase how restoring peatlands can deliver major benefits for climate, nature, and communities as it hosts a prestigious UK three-day conference in Swansea, starting on 9 June 2026.
The IUCN UK Peatland Programme’s ‘Peatlands Under Pressure’ conference will focus on both the challenges faced to keep carbon in our peatlands and the successes to date. Wales’ effective strategic approach to peatland restoration is led by the National Peatland Action Programme (NPAP), funded by Welsh Government, and managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Welsh Government Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, Llyr Gruffydd, who will open the event, said:
It is a pleasure to welcome the IUCN conference to Wales – a country with a strong tradition of peatland research and restoration. From our internationally important bogs to the restoration work now underway across Wales, peatlands show why nature-based solutions matter. They cover just 4% of our land yet store around 30% of our land-based carbon and are among our most important natural assets for biodiversity, climate action, flood and fire risk mitigation.
Mannon Lewis, NRW’s Strategic Projects lead for NPAP, added:
There is an urgency in Wales to address the 90% of peatland that is damaged, because damaged peatlands release harmful greenhouse gases. The Programme’s first successful five years, delivered with the Wales Peatland Action partnership, resulted in over 3,600ha restoration and an upscale to triple the targets as outlined in our 2025-2030 Wales Peatland Action plan. This IUCN conference, looking at pressures that could challenge these aims, is timely for us in Wales and across the UK.
Pressures on peatlands include challenges from development, land management, and climate change. Other aspects discussed in workshops at the conference include data and monitoring, wildfire, community and land manager engagement, paludiculture, private finance, and horticultural peat.
Emma Hinchliffe, Director of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme said:
Our conferences have been an annual meeting point for the UK peatland community for over 15 years now. It is wonderful to be back in Wales for a third time to celebrate the positive conservation work happening in Wales and to look at the challenges ahead for Welsh peatlands. I am confident discussions over the coming days will both highlight the barriers and identify solutions to restoring the UK’s peatlands.
Over 400 delegates will gather at the University of Swansea, on regional site visits, as well as online for Day 1. Peatland professionals will visit restoration sites at Crymlyn Bog, Tywi Welsh Government Woodland Estate, Cors Caron, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Rhigos Mountain, Dowrog Common in Pembrokeshire, and Llyn Llech Owain in Carmarthenshire.
A special feature of the conference is the support from NRW’s LifeQuake Project, with the nearby Crymlyn Bog restoration site playing a central role in conference visits.
LIFEQuake’s Project Manager, Gareth Thomas said:
Swansea people will be familiar with the fascinating site that is Crymlyn Bog, rich in its biodiversity, and plentiful restoration challenges, including unexploded WW2 bombs. The IUCN Conference is a fantastic opportunity for delegates, from across the UK and beyond, to see our LIFEQuake sites at Crymlyn and Dowrog Common. On the Dowrog site visit, we are also pleased to collaborate with Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm, who are in the forefront of preserving and boosting rare bog species such as the marsh fritillary.
The public in Wales can identify local peatland and follow the progress of its restoration through the Wales Peatland Data Map. Examples of over 100 possible restoration actions can be found in the NPAP peatland restoration glossary. An introduction to peatland and why it needs restoration can be found in these short introductory videos, ‘Wales Peatland’ and ‘Peatlands: the good, the bad and the land healers’. See also a video of ‘Iolo Williams at Crymlyn Bog’.