Data from: Hydrological and vegetation change during peatland restoration at ex-forested sites in a blanket bog ecosystem

There is a global shortage of long-term, controlled experiments assessing
the effectiveness of land-use interventions, especially in peatland
ecosystems. These habitats play a crucial role in biodiversity
conservation and climate regulation, yet forest-to-bog restoration remains
poorly understood and under-evaluated at scale. We aimed to test the
effectiveness of different restoration techniques in converting non-native
conifer plantations back to functioning bog ecosystems, using a rigorous,
replicated, long-term experimental framework to generate robust evidence
to support peatland conservation and climate policy. At a 21,500 ha nature
reserve in the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site (northern
Scotland), we established two large-scale replicated experiments (2–8 ha
blocks) using a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design. Treatments
compared “standard” and “enhanced” approaches to hydrological restoration
and tree removal, alongside intact bog and forestry controls. Hydrological
and vegetation responses were monitored over a 6–7-year period following
intervention. Enhanced restoration techniques led to more rapid recovery
of bog-like conditions, including raised and stabilised water tables and
the re-establishment of characteristic vegetation assemblages. These
outperformed standard restoration methods and demonstrated significant
ecological gains within a relatively short timeframe for forest-to-bog
conversion. Despite the long timescales typically required for peatland
restoration, our results show that enhanced methods can significantly
accelerate early recovery. These findings demonstrate the importance of
experimental rigour in restoration science and provide critical insights
into effective peatland management.