Minimizing impacts to peatlands from in-situ oil sands development and operations requires planning at all stages of development. Peatlands are resilient to various types of disturbances; however, many factors such as site type, hydrology, disturbance intensity and disturbance frequency will impact how well peatlands recover from disturbance. There are many different types of disturbances created in an in-situ oil sands development, some disturbances are more intense, permanent and larger than others. The larger, intense, permanent disturbances such as pads and access roads are more difficult to reclaim and restore. Disturbances that are less intense and more temporary, such as seismic lines or drilled and abandoned wellsites, can be put on a path of fast trajectory towards self-sustaining peatlands if site construction and reclamation is properly planned and executed. Various best practices and new techniques that can be implemented in the planning, construction and reclamation stages of in-situ oil sands operations are discussed.