The Welsh Government has met its peatland restoration targets a year early.

That means they are saving more than 8,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The National Peatlands Action Programme, initiated by the Welsh Government in 2020, was tasked with restoring 3,000 hectares of peatland over five years including areas of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Gwynedd.

This ambitious target was achieved 12 months ahead of schedule.

The restoration work has safeguarded more than 1.6 million tonnes of stored carbon, reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 8,000 tonnes each year.

This is equivalent to the emissions of 5,700 cars.

Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: "I am delighted to confirm that our ambitious peatland restoration targets for April 2025 have been met ahead of time.

"This is a huge step forward for climate and nature in Wales.

"Peatlands are so important.

"They store a quarter of all soil carbon in just four per cent of our land area, reduce the risk of wildfire and are vital for rare plant species like Sphagnum mosses, which play a critical role in flood and drought resilience and carbon sequestration.

"Wales is facing a climate and nature emergency and this work goes a long way to ensure these precious habitats can survive and adapt in a changing climate.

“Congratulations to everyone involved in this work, and I’m looking forward to following the fifth restoration season to see just how much further we can go."

The National Peatlands Action Programme is delivered by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Mannon Lewis, NRW’s strategic projects manager, who heads the National Peatland Action Programme, said: "Peatlands are our most valuable land resource for carbon storage, and their restoration is an effective nature-based solution to address the nature and climate emergencies.

"The restoration of peatland biodiversity is a critical aspect of nature recovery and secures effective long storage of carbon and the regulation of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere, as well as other ecosystem benefits.

"In addition to the hectares delivered, the National Programme has provided the strategic leadership needed by partners working across Wales to plan for the acceleration of delivery into the future."

Some peatlands in Wales are more than 10,000 years old and contain the historic environmental record for Wales.

They also play a crucial role in filtering and supplying drinking water into reservoirs.

The action programme work has been complemented by other peatland projects, including those funded through EU LIFE, National Parks, the Heritage Lottery, and landowners.

Collectively, these have delivered restoration activity across a further 1,000 hectares since 2020.