The pilot was run by Edinburgh-based digital connectivity company FarrPoint in collaboration with NatureScot Peatland ACTION, the Carloway Estate Trust, Scottish Water and Scottish Futures Trust. The success will see NatureScot receive enough funding to extend the project another year, and possibly expand to new locations. 

The study monitored a remote area of peatland in the Western Isles over 12 months, capturing reliable information on water table dynamics, a key indicator of peatland condition. This was done using ten IoT sensors to relay real-time information, eliminating the need for physical visits to the site.

Monitoring peatland water table dynamics is traditionally a demanding task as most monitoring stations are remote and only accessible by foot. Therefore the IoT applications have reduced the cost of monitoring, lowered environmental impact from eliminating travel, improved the data received in both quality and timeliness compared to sending a human to monitor.

“Many people don’t realise how vitally important peatland is to the environment. As well as supporting biodiversity, Scotland’s peatlands store 1.7 billion tons of carbon – the equivalent of around 140 years of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dr Andrew Muir, CEO at FarrPoint.

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“If peatland gets damaged and dries out – and at present, an estimated 80% of Scotland’s peatland is damaged – it releases a huge amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, making the problem of climate change even worse.”

The restoration and conservation of peatlands aligns with Scotland’s efforts to address climate and biodiversity emergencies. Peatlands not only store carbon, develop natural habitats, conserve soil, and improve biodiversity, but are also responsible for the start of 70% of Scotland’s drinking water. 

In light of this, the Scottish government has embarked on restoring 250,000 hectares of peatland by committing over £250 million until 203.