A group of business professionals undertaking a postgraduate study program at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) are seeking experts to help answer the question: Do investors undervalue the social impact of peatland projects in the UK when making investment decisions?
CISL is an impact-led institute within the University of Cambridge that activates leadership globally to transform economies for people, nature and climate. From existing academic literature and practitioner insight, the researchers have found that environmental impacts are the most prominently communicated benefits of peatland restoration to investors. However, they have found little to no monitoring or reporting of the social impacts of peatland restoration. Therefore, the aim of the research project is to investigate if by monitoring and reporting the social metrics and environmental metrics of peatland restoration in the UK, these projects will become a more attractive investment, thus potentially plugging the funding gap.
The researchers are seeking research participants from across the peatland community, including policy makers, practitioners, landowners and other members of local communities, as well as those involved in private finance. Participants are asked to undertake a short online interview before the end of January 2025 to gather their views and experience in relation to the subject.
Jane Akerman, IUCN UK Peatland Programme Manager, who was interviewed as part of the research, says
"The benefits of peatland restoration are extremely wide ranging and include many positive social impacts, but these are not always well recognised. There is also a significant public funding gap for the restoration needed to support the aims of the UK Peatland Strategy, and private investment is crucial to helping address this. This research will provide valuable insight into how our peatlands are being valued and how we can better assess and communicate social as well as environmental impacts to potential investors.”
Find out more about the research in the ‘Request for interview’ document below.
To get involved, please email socialpeatland@gmail.com.
