The Peatland Code has recorded its 200th project registration under the UK Land Carbon registry. It also marks its 100th registration in the past 12 months, a rapid growth since the code’s first registration in 2017. In May alone the code registered 28 projects.
The total area of projects registered is 27,071ha across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland with 6,114,281 tonnes of CO2e emissions reductions over their project lifetimes.
The 200th project to be registered under the code is Wemyss and March Phase 3 in Moffat, Scotland.
The site is owned by Chapelhope Trust and has a project area of 99.22 hectares and is classed as a Drained Blanket Bog, with some sections actively eroding. The project developer for the site is Forest Carbon.
Image: © Tweed Forum
Martin Andrews, of Wemyss and March Estates, says:
“The Trustees of the Chapelhope Trust are delighted that Wemyss and March Phase 3 is the 200th project to be registered with the Peatland Code.
This is the third peatland project that Wemyss and March Estates are certifying with the Peatland Code, and the fourth peatland restoration project delivered across the estate over the last 6 years.
We have been working in close collaboration with the teams at both Tweed Forum and Forest Carbon to help survey, plan, restore and certify our peatland projects.
We see wide ranging benefits in delivering restoration projects and have plans to deliver more over the coming years. Whilst we welcome the existing Government grant support for peat restoration, it seems likely that a blend of public and private finance will become more important in future to help fund both capital costs as well as supporting vital long-term management and maintenance of these sites to ensure success.
Dr Renée Kerkvliet-Hermans, Peatland Code Coordinator at IUCN UK Peatland Programme says:
“It is fantastic to be able celebrate this milestone so quickly after celebrating our 100th project registration milestone just over a year ago. We need to urgently restore all our peatlands and we need to use the highest standard possible. Private finance can help with this, and the Peatland Code ensures the highest integrity, with government backing, in the UK market for peatland restoration.”
Image: Growth of Peatland code projects and cumulative emissions reductions
The Peatland Code underwent its most recent update with the release of version 2.0 in March 2023. A major addition to the code was the inclusion of fens into eligible peatland types. The code recently had its first 2 Fen projects registered:
Wicken Fen is a National Trust site in Cambridgeshire covering 63.06ha of Modified Fen.
RSPB Lakenheath Fen Restoration Project is a 7ha site in Norfolk consisting of cropland that will be converted to re-wetted Fen.
