UK government announces 47 million pound funding for peatland restoration and carbon storage

The UK government has announced 47 million pounds in funding to protect and restore England's peatlands, which store more than half of the carbon found in the country's land-based ecosystems. The money will support rewetting infrastructure, wetland crops like bulrush, and restoration training for farmers and land managers. Peatlands are a critical nature-based solution for climate change, but 80 percent of England's peatlands have been degraded by drainage for farming. The funding comes as the government faces criticism over its ban on controlled heather burning on deep peat, which some argue increases wildfire risk. A major wildfire on Langdale Moor in 2025 burned for over a month. Meanwhile, a controversial wind farm project on protected peatland in Calderdale is moving forward despite opposition from MPs. The balance between renewable energy development and peatland protection remains a key tension in UK climate policy.