IUCN UK Peatland Programme

What IUCN UK Peatland Programme does

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme is a UK-wide non-profit coordinating body founded in 2009 and hosted by The Wildlife Trusts (registered charity number 207238). It exists to promote peatland restoration through partnerships, science, policy and practice, serving government agencies (Scottish Government, Welsh Government, Defra, NatureScot, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, DAERA), conservation organisations (RSPB, National Trust, Moors for the Future, Wildlife Trusts, South West Peatland Partnership), academic researchers, landowners and the general public.

Its core product is the Peatland Code, a voluntary certification standard for UK peatland restoration projects seeking to market climate benefits through carbon credits. The Peatland Code includes a registry, carbon unit tracking and accreditation through UKAS, ICROA and ICVCM, and currently covers 401 projects UK-wide (336 in Scotland alone). Supporting products and initiatives include Eyes on the Bog (long-term citizen-science monitoring with fixed-point photography posts), the Virtual Peatlands Pavilion (a VR-enabled digital engagement platform), Bog Day (annual public engagement), the PeatConf annual conference, and a steady cadence of publications such as the UK Peatland Strategy, 'Native Trees in Peatland Landscapes' and 'Bringing Peat to Life'.

The Programme does not sell commercial products. It is funded through government grants (notably the Welsh Government's approximately £700K in 2025/26 for peatland restoration grants of £10K–£250K, and the Scottish Government's much larger Peatland ACTION funding stream), Defra-commissioned evidence reviews, and charitable activities conducted through partnerships and voluntary contributions. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by PeatConf, citizen-science programmes, a quarterly newsletter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and the programme website, reaching conservation practitioners, policymakers and the general public.

Name

IUCN UK Peatland Programme

Legal name

IUCN UK Peatland Programme

Website

https://iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme is a UK-wide non-profit hosted by The Wildlife Trusts that coordinates peatland restoration across government, conservation organisations and researchers, operating the Peatland Code carbon standard, citizen-science monitoring, and policy guidance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peatland Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Wetlands, Peatlands & Mangrove Restoration (Blue Carbon Restoration) (EUABABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE), Soil & Biomass Carbon Measurement (Soil Sampling, Forest Inventory, Blue Carbon) (EUABACAH)

Keywords

• Peatland restoration
• Carbon certification
• Wetland conservation
• Habitat restoration
• Environmental advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

United Kingdom

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: The Programme receives funding through government programmes including Peatland Restoration Grants (£10K-£250K per project in Wales), National Peatland Action Programme funding, and Defra-commissioned evidence reviews.
2. Charitable Activities: As a charity hosted by The Wildlife Trusts, the Programme conducts restoration advocacy, policy work, education, and community engagement through partnerships and voluntary contributions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The IUCN UK Peatland Programme coordinates UK-wide peatland restoration through the Peatland Code carbon certification standard, citizen science monitoring (Eyes on the Bog), policy advocacy, restoration guidance publications, and community engagement events. It serves as the central coordinating body bringing together government agencies, conservation organisations, landowners, and researchers across all four UK nations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peatland Code: A voluntary standard for UK peatland projects wishing to market the climate benefit of restoration
• Eyes on the Bog
• Bog Day
• Virtual Peatlands Pavilion

Products and services

• Peatland Code A voluntary certification standard for UK peatland projects seeking to market the climate benefit of restoration, including a registry, carbon unit tracking, and accreditation through UKAS, ICROA, and ICVCM. For peatland restoration project developers and carbon credit buyers.
• Eyes on the Bog Long-term, low-cost peatland monitoring initiative enabling citizen science participation through fixed-point photography posts and volunteer observation. For conservation practitioners and the general public.
• Virtual Peatlands Pavilion VR-enabled digital engagement platform for immersive peatland education and outreach, used at events and exhibitions. For event attendees and the general public.
• Bog Day Annual public engagement event celebrating peatlands with activities and educational resources. For the general public and conservation community.
• PeatConf Annual Conference Annual conference bringing together peatland practitioners, scientists, and policymakers to share research, restoration practice, and policy developments. The 16th conference held in Swansea in 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 million tonnes of carbon stored in Peak District peatlands alone (8,267 hectares)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• The Wildlife TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wildlife Trusts hosts the IUCN UK Peatland Programme as a registered charity (number 207238), providing organisational infrastructure and partnership framework for UK-wide peatland advocacy and restoration coordination.
• National TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed 'Native Trees in Peatland Landscapes' publication, advocates for holistic ecosystem restoration integrating native trees with peatland conservation, and hosts related webinars.
• Moors for the Future PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor delivery partner for landscape-scale blanket bog restoration in Peak District and South Pennines. Moors for the Future has restored over 250 square kilometres of moorland and raises approximately £50m for restoration work.
• Peatland ACTIONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Government-led partnership for delivery of peatland restoration, providing transparent project mapping, monitoring schemes, annual reporting, and grant support for feasibility studies and restoration projects.
• Art and Energy CollectivesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organiser of Peat-Fest South-West, a regional celebration of peatland heritage across South-West England with young people engagement focus, funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
• RE-PEATsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-led organisation co-producing Peat-Fest South-West bogcasts (podcast series), creative workshops, and community engagement activities across South-West peatlands.
• University of ManchestersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner hosting PhD research in peatland palaeoecology. Collaboration focuses on bridging academic research and conservation practice through translational palaeoecology frameworks.
• UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to peatland science, hydrology research, and evidence-based restoration guidance. Collaborated on Elan Valley Molinia research.
• NatureScotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish nature agency leading Peatland ACTION delivery, providing monitoring frameworks, annual reviews, and project data transparency for Scotland's peatland restoration programme.
• Natural EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency contributing to UK Peatland Strategy and peatland policy development for England, supporting evidence-based conservation approaches.
• RSPBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor conservation partner contributing to peatland publications (Native Trees in Peatland Landscapes), policy advocacy, and restoration delivery including wildfire resilience work.
• United Nations Environment Programme - Global Peatlands InitiativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational coordination through GPI to raise awareness of peatland importance for climate action, nature protection, and wellbeing during UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.
• South West Peatland PartnershipsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership delivering peatland restoration across South-West England, partnering on Peat-Fest South-West events and youth engagement activities.
• BeadaMossminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of PeatConf26, specialist provider of micropropagated Sphagnum moss for peatland restoration. Collaborates on restoration projects including Totes Moor in Northern Germany.
• NatureScotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributing partner on 'Native Trees in Peatland Landscapes' publication and other guidance documents, supporting evidence-based restoration approaches.
• Natural Resources WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelsh Government agency contributing to peatland publications and Wales Peatland Action Programme delivery and policy development.
• DAERA (Northern Ireland)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs contributing to UK-wide peatland strategy and publications.
• Botanical Society of Britain and IrelandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on rare plant species showcase and biodiversity coverage, contributing Red List assessments for wetland flora threat status.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Peatland ACTION (NatureScot): Scottish Government-funded restoration programme led by NatureScot; operates as both a major funder and strategic delivery counterpart to the IUCN UK Peatland Programme and shares its core mission of restoring degraded peatlands across the UK.
• Moors for the Future Partnership: Major UK peatland restoration delivery body operating in the Peak District and South Pennines; the IUCN UK Peatland Programme references it as a core partner and both serve overlapping audiences of project developers, funders and policymakers around blanket bog restoration.
• South West Peatland Partnership: Regional peatland restoration partnership for South-West England and listed customer/partner of the IUCN programme; both coordinate project delivery, monitoring and community engagement around peatland restoration under shared UK policy frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• The Wildlife Trusts: Host organisation of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme and the UK's largest umbrella conservation charity; its broader portfolio of habitat management, education and advocacy overlaps the Programme's peatland focus.
• National Trust: Major UK conservation landowner and partner of the Programme; co-developed the 'Native Trees in Peatland Landscapes' publication and runs restoration on its own peatland estates, overlapping with the Programme's standards and advocacy work.
• RSPB: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a leading UK conservation NGO that partners with the IUCN programme on peatland publications and policy advocacy and engages in peatland restoration for biodiversity outcomes.
• Woodland Trust: UK's largest woodland conservation charity; while forest-focused, it operates across overlapping landowner and policy networks and is a peer in the broader UK nature NGO landscape alongside the Peatland Programme.

Emerging players

• Plantlife: UK plant conservation charity that partners with the IUCN programme on species showcases and rare plant work; comparable as a niche, topic-specialist environmental NGO with overlapping audiences in conservation practice and policy.
• Buglife: Invertebrate conservation charity operating within the same UK NGO peer group as the Peatland Programme, collaborating on wetlands/bog habitat work and engaging overlapping funder and volunteer audiences.

Others

• UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH): Research partner cited by the IUCN programme on peatland science and hydrology (e.g., Elan Valley Molinia research); a comparable enabling institution providing the scientific evidence base underpinning restoration practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@iucnukpeatlandprogramme9645
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iucn-uk-peatland-programme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IUCN UK Peatland Programme