Peatlands preserve both tangible and intangible cultural heritage as a dynamic and fragile landscape. However, for thousands of years, peatlands have been modified by humans for different reasons to the point of degradation, going from being a carbon sink to a carbon source.
My project explores the Machrie Moor, a blanket bog located on the west coast of the Isle of Arran, which is a famous archeological site for its 5000-year-old stone circles, standing stones and cairns. It both keeps physical cultural remains and past Gaelic stories, however, eroded for the farmland, grazing and peat cutting.
My project aims to reconstruct long-term human-peatland interactions so that it will intervene in the peatland growth process and can influence people's perceptions of the peatlands, future management, policy and encourage peatlands' natural expansion, facing future land use conflict and climate emergency.
After explored the unique ecological, historical and cultural role of Machrie Moor, there are three measures: recall, restore, and rethink. Recall is about revealing history and culture. Restore is based on community collaboration to conserve degraded peatlands and to promote self-regulation of peatlands through more-than-human beings. For the rethink part, I conceive three scenarios of use: experiential seasonal and peat festival. Through these three strategies, the project will build new intersections between people and peatlands and to promote a more sustainable future.