Our 2023 conference, with the theme of ‘Beyond Restoration’, allowed us to take a look into the future of peatland management, reflect on the collective direction of travel and explore mechanisms to secure the future of UK peatlands in the long-term.
Being located in Ely, in close proximity to lowland fens, gave us the opportunity to reflect on the unique challenges posed through managing these landscapes, as well as using the local context to explore nationally relevant topics such as agri-environment funding and policies, aftercare/management needs post-restoration, and research opportunities. Whilst we used the local landscape to frame the conference, we also ensured that the conference was relevant to partners across the UK.
- Over 300 delegates attended this year’s hybrid event. Delegates were able to join the in-person event in Ely or experience parts of this year’s conference via remote attendance.
- Networking opportunities were available at our evening poster session and throughout the event.
- Visits to locally important peatland sites allowed delegates to experience a range of management and restoration techniques first-hand on the conference field trips.
- There were also deep-dives into specific topics during the workshop sessions on Day 3. Topics this year were:
- Paludiculture
- Peat and carbon
- Peatland policy
- Restoration trajectories
- Peatland data collection
- Cultural heritage
- Water management and regulation
- Lowland and upland knowledge sharing
Find out more about:
You can also watch all of the videos from the conference on our YouTube channel.
The UK is a global leader in peatland restoration. This is only made possible by the enthusiasm and dedication of hundreds of individuals and organisations, whether paid staff or volunteers, NGOs, government, academic, business or private land managers. We commend the whole peatland community and particularly the partnerships that drive this work, restoring and protecting peatlands for future generations.
We were delighted to deliver the conference in partnership with:
The conference was kindly sponsored by:
And with much appreciated support from:
