A synthesis of new and existing research on the role of functioning wetlands in moderating water availability in a Scottish context.

The estimated two million hectares of Scotland’s wetlands supply ecosystem services by providing multi-functional water storage across catchments. When in good health, these wetlands may have the capacity to buffer societies and ecosystems from high and low flows, mitigating both flood and drought risks respectively. The potential beneficiaries of this are the downstream communities, businesses, infrastructure, and biodiversity associated with wetlands. The role of functioning wetlands in moderating (buffering) extremes in water availability may be integral to climate mitigation strategy given that that Scotland is projected to experience increased frequency of flooding and drought situations, as well as their coexistence, due to climate change.

Yet wetlands have been and continue to be under pressure from land use and climate change. These impacts may compromise Scotland’s wetland health and buffering capacity. Wetland restoration is often focused on carbon sequestration benefits but the road to recovery can also benefit water and land management. The outputs from this project may have broader implications for policy development, planning options, and inform best practice approaches for managing wetland health and buffering capacity now and in future.