Building Scale in Peatland Restoration

In this blog, we explain why Caledonian Climate is committed to delivering peatland restoration at scale, and why this must continue to be a top priority for the Scottish and UK Governments and the sector.

But first, let’s establish the environmental benefits of large-scale peatland restoration.

Degraded peatlands account for a significant 4% of the UK's annual greenhouse gas emissions, releasing up to 25 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare each year. Restoration transforms these damaged peatlands, allowing the irrecoverable carbon stores to remain intact and carbon sequestration to commence again. It is estimated that by restoring of all of Scotland’s peatlands, the country’s greenhouse gas emissions would reduce by around 15%.

As it stands, the pace of peatland restoration in Scotland simply isn’t where it needs to be to achieve the government’s ambitious net-zero targets. In fact, in the Climate Change Committee’s 2024 independent report, they stated that “On peatland restoration a tripling of Scotland’s rate is required to reach its own target”. This is why scaling-up nature-based solutions such as peatland restoration has never been more important.

 

How can large-scale peatland restoration be delivered?

Currently, peatland restoration does not typically take place during the summer months of May-September due to the protection of nesting birds and other potential land based activities. This is a mind-set that can and needs to change if we are to truly unlock a sustainable increase in restoration activity. From our experience working closely with landowners, contractors, statutory bodies and policy makers, there are measures that can be taken to continue restoration works during this period. Of course, this is only suitable when projects can continue to adhere to legal requirements and ensure the preservation of the countries most endeared and threatened species. 

 

Collaborating with industry experts 

As a favoured habitat of some of the most renowned wild birds, such as the Golden Plover, Dunlin and Golder Eagle, peatlands are a popular breeding ground towards the end of spring with eggs laid throughout the summer. While traditionally this has caused peatland restoration work to temporarily stop, this doesn’t have to be the case.

Industry experts such as NatureScot, agree that work can safely proceed following detailed consultation and the deployment of appropriate guidance and mitigations. By using comprehensive advice from industry experts, such as specialist species teams, project managers can establish and implement measures required to mitigate risk to breeding birds during the summer months. At Caledonian Climate, this often includes site walk-over surveys by an experienced ornithologist; Species Protection Plans (SPP) being completed; and regular site checks throughout a restoration period itself.

By involving NatureScot and PeatlandACTION officers, restoration projects can and should continue during the breeding season, where appropriate, allowing for the successful completion of large-scale peatland restoration.

More information on the guidance around working during the breeding bird season can be found here. 

 

Agile project management

Effective, dynamic project management is key to the successful delivery of a peatland restoration project – particularly so when working on larger sites that afford the ability to react to identified species constraints. Where factors such as buffer or exclusion zones have been deployed at short notice, restoration work can potentially continue at an alternate location within the same site’s footprint.

Careful and efficient planning and communication must be in place to avoid disruption and a collaborative relationship between all parties is essential.

 

Funding

Such management can only occur with a robust funding framework in place, one that is clear and reliable. Peatland restoration relies on consistent, available funding – without it, project owners cannot be confident in a project’s completion and practical contractors are unlikely to make the significant investments required to scale up effectively.

For large-scale restoration projects, there is a heightened expectation for tangible results. To ensure that these can be achieved, securing long-term (multi-year), sustainable funding needs to be a priority for project developers and proponents.

Peatland restoration has, for several years now, been heralded as one of the most cost effective and impactful Nature Based Solutions for private finance to invest in. However, complexities and nuances of the carbon markets and questions over the long-term relevance of Peatland Carbon Units for businesses looking to offtake from projects (despite The Peatland Code being endorsed by both the UK and Scottish Governments), has stunted the supply of private finance looking to catalyse action on the ground.

The public pocket is not deep enough to support the required level of action - restrictions to funding this financial year have only re-enforced this belief. Private finance has the potential to transform the scale of action taking place, by providing the long term commitments to funding that Governments are unable to do (typically due to annual budget restrictions). It is now essential that policy makers provide a roadmap to British businesses for what carbon reporting they are going to be required to carry out. Alongside this, they must confirm that UK generated carbon units (such as those generated by standards such as the Peatland and Woodland Carbon Codes) will be relevant and useable by British businesses within their reporting requirements, so long as they need them to be. CCP will expand on these points in a future blog however, there are clear actions that are required and it is important that they are talked about more openly and in the right places. 

 

Relationships with landowners

Conflicting priorities on the land can often impede progress in peatland restoration projects.  It is therefore crucial for project managers to explain the benefits in prioritising such work, particularly for large-scale projects, which take longer to complete.

By creating strong working relationships with landowners and estate teams, understanding their position, Caledonian Climate establishes a timeline where restoration can continue alongside other estate activity, mitigating a need to unnecessarily pause restoration works.

 

Why Caledonian Climate?

As experts in peatland restoration Caledonian Climate is well-equipped to deliver large-scale peatland restoration projects that generate the expected outcomes for years to come.

Through our strong, reputable partnerships with industry officials and landowners, we are able to collaborate effectively to implement measures that respect the requirements for species protection, while also continuing the vital restoration work that will have a significant impact on reversing climate change.

Interested in how Caledonian Climate is scaling-up peatland restoration? Get in touch with us to find out more.