Off-Site Peatland Restoration for Strathy South Wind Farm

Our client SSE Renewables Developments (UK) Limited sought to understand if implementing peatland restoration measures at Strathy South Wind Farm off-site peatland restoration area could bring potential carbon savings.

They also needed to determine the potential value of works so that this could be reflected in their project plan. Our Ecology team provided an assessment based on the guidance from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), i.e. Peatland Code Field Protocol (IUCN, 2017) and associated guidance (IUCN, 2022).

Challenge

The off-site peatland restoration area is located within Lochan Buidhe Mires Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Caithness and Sutherland Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA), which are of international importance and designated for the rare and protected species they support.

The Peatland Code is currently the only available voluntary certification standard for UK peatland projects wishing to market the climate benefits of peatland restoration. It also provides assurances to voluntary carbon market buyers that the climate benefits being sold are real, quantifiable, additional, and permanent. To meet the Peatland Code eligibility requirements, landowners must provide evidence to confirm that average peat depth within each assessment unit is 30cm or greater, and that at least 75% of peat depths within each assessment unit are 30cm or greater. This will inform the maximum potential duration of a claim from that project.

We undertook a peat depth survey, which followed a standard 100m grid system, and the site’s condition assessment to confirm the average peat depth, but also the presence of any active drains which were potentially drying-out the peat mass and therefore contributing to a net release of carbon. We used the associated peat depth survey data to generate an interpolated peat depth map for the client’s site.

We carried out further mapping using ArcGIS software, which involved applying 30m buffers to each drainage channel proposed for blocking under the Peatland Restoration Plan. We used the total area to calculate the figure entered into the Peatland Code Emissions Calculator and determined the potential reduction in carbon emissions that would arise over a 50yr period following restoration management.

Solution

Our client was able to successfully lease the land with the accurate carbon valuation we provided and begin restoration activities.

We have used wave-damming techniques to restore the degraded peatland habitats. Our team completed pre-restoration hydrological monitoring for 3 months, and 12 months post-restoration monitoring of the water table will be undertaken to assess the positive effects restoration has had on stabilising the hydrological regime of the site.

This in turn will enable the re-establishment of peat forming species throughout the restoration period.