Peatlands are the single largest carbon reserve in the UK. They store around 3 billion tonnes of carbon, the equivalent of 20 years of UK CO2 emissions. The Peak District Moorlands store between 16 and 20 million tons. More carbon is stored in UK peat than in the forests of Britain and France combined.

Restoration for carbon credits

If the peatlands in the Peak District were restored to healthy peat ecosystems, they could absorb rather than release large quantities of carbon. Scientists from Durham estimate that peatland restoration activities in England and Wales could absorb around 400,000 tonnes of carbon a year. This is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 1.1 billion car miles or 84,000 family-sized cars per year. If these savings were marketed as Certified Emission Reductions on the carbon offset market, they could pay for large-scale restoration.

If restoration is to be effective, and if carbon savings are to be marketed, it is essential to understand the carbon budget – the absorption and release of carbon.

What we are doing?

Moors for the Future and their partners aim to:

• Develop best practice restoration and land management schemes that avoid carbon loss and increase carbon sequestration
• Understand the carbon budgets for restored peatlands (supported by Natural England, Fred Worrall & Martin Evans, Durham and Manchester Universities)
• Map the carbon capture and storage potential of the Peak District moorlands (Fred Worrall, Durham University, ‘Sustainable Uplands’ RELU project)
• Work towards developing a carbon offsetting scheme with a sound audit trail and set up a trust to fund carbon sequestration through restoration with Mark Reed & Fred Worrall Leeds and Durham Universities)
• Set up a charitable trust to fund carbon sequestration through restoration
• Provide advice to government and land managers on carbon management guidelines and carbon reward schemes.

The Moors for the Future Partnership has several projects to restore the Peak District moors and their carbon balance. The Partnership plans to set up a charitable trust for carbon offsetting to fund peatland restoration for carbon sequestration in the UK. This will fund further restoration work. This will follow the highest standards for such schemes, and will be based on sound scientific evidence.

Further information

Moors for the Future Carbon Flux research note
2006 Carbon Workshop
2007 Conference: Climate Change and Upland Management.
Here are a selection of PowerPoint and audio presentations from the conference:

• Climate change and carbon flux scenarios for Britain - Prof Pete Smith, University of Aberdeen
• Carbon budgets of upland peat - is peat the new black gold? - Fred Worrall & Martin Evans, University of Durham, University of Manchester
  
• Defra Soil Strategy for England - Peat Programme - Judith Stuart, Soil Policy Specialist, DEFRA
• Natural England Programme – Land managers as carbon managers? - David Thompson, Senior Specialist Climate Change, Natural England
  

Carbon report Jan 2006
RELU project
ECOSSE: Estimating Carbon in Organic Soils - Sequestration and Emissions: Final Report
Environmental Change Network: Targeted Monitoring of Air Pollution and Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity
IPCC report summary
IPCC report at a glance
Together we have the power to beat climate change - The NorthWest Carbon Fund concept paper, October 2007
Carbon flux in Restored Peatlands: executive project summary of interim report to be added soon

Play LogiCity - an entertaining introduction to Climate Change. Players explore a 3D virtual city trying to reduce their carbon emissions and discovering some of the possible effects of climate change should emissions remain unchecked.

contact aletta.bonn@peakdistrict.gov.uk