Funding is available to not-for-profit organisations and local authorities for projects to help people improve and to connect with Northern Ireland's peatland environment.

The Peatland Challenge Fund 2024-2027 Competition has been funded by the Northern Ireland Executive's Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs as part of its wider Environment Fund, together with the Irish Government's Shared Island Initiative.

The competition is intended to support projects including nature recovery initiatives, such as developing restoration plans and implementing erosion control measures, as well as efforts to connect people with nature through community engagement projects and educational opportunities. Additionally, the funding will support the strategic development of citizen science initiatives to monitor and conserve peatlands effectively.

For the Peatland Challenge Fund 2024-2027 Competition, funding will cover 100% of project costs. DAERA will not provide funding of less than £50,000 (the minimum total cost of a project, therefore, is £50,000). Although there is no maximum project cost, applications will be assessed based on Value for Money, given the expected strong competition for funding.

The funding is used to support projects that address the following Environmental Impact Priorities:

Nature Recovery; Building ecological and climate resilience in Peatland

Developing and/or delivering peatland restoration plans to maintain and increase the area of peatlands in favourable condition. This includes restoration of erosion impacts, reactivation of drained peatlands, forest to bog restoration, control of alien invasives, and projects that address grazing pressure.
Development of environmental surveying, monitoring and mapping programmes for biodiversity, archaeology, climate and water impacts of the peatland restoration works. This includes the development of pilots to demonstrate success of existing restoration proposals.

Connecting People with Nature; Peatlands

Provision or improvement of resources and capacity building activities to deliver environmental learning and community engagement projects for peatlands. This includes an arts-based approach to engagement.
Improving educational opportunities relating to peatlands, including for under-represented groups.
Volunteering, including the establishment of new local groups or greater public involvement within their organisation.
Strategic development of citizen science for peatland conservation and improvement where this will produce reliable long term surveillance indices/data.

If proposals for restoration projects require a development plan, these must be completed by September 2025.

The deadline for applications is 19 June 2024 (12 noon).

For more information, please visit Environment Fund 2023 - 2028 | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)