Adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature UK Peatland Programme (IUCN UK PP) for use in the UK Peatland Code, the new carbon calculator will help peatland restoration projects calculate their direct greenhouse gas emissions associated with peat restoration activities.
Peatlands are the UK’s largest terrestrial carbon store, capable of holding up to 20 times more carbon than trees when healthy. However, extensive damage from peat harvesting—including for horticulture—has led to the release of carbon into the atmosphere instead of its natural storage.
Peatland restoration specialist, Professor Jane Barker, Managing Director of Dalefoot Composts and Barker & Bland (parent company) has been working with the University of Cumbria to develop the new tool, alongside one of her team’s three PhD students, Jack Brennand. It calculates the greenhouse gases emitted during peatland restoration projects, considering machinery, materials, and restoration techniques. The new calculator is suitable for blanket and lowland raised bogs and is based on full life cycle assessment data, calculating the total carbon cost of undertaking restoration activities within a project.
The new calculator allows for a more exact assessment of the climate benefits of a restoration project. Currently, the Peatland Code estimates the long-term carbon savings arising from a restoration project but has relatively little information regarding the impact of different restoration approaches on carbon savings. On a wider scale, the calculator enables project managers and contractors to consider the carbon budget in their planning of restoration projects. The integration of the new tool into the UK Peatland Code marks a significant milestone, requiring all new peatland restoration projects across the UK to incorporate these methods in their restoration design and project evaluation stages.
“This brand-new addition to the Peatland Code provides the industry with a formal way to measure the impact of restoration efforts, marking a significant step forward in our collective fight against climate change,” said Professor Barker. The tool is currently being rolled out by the IUCN UK PP, with plans underway to expand its use to include restoration statistics for lowland fens.
“As a ‘climate friendly’ business committed to sustainability, we continue to innovate and push to improve all our practices, including our peatland restoration work,” she said. “Natural fertilisers are the potent ingredients of our growing media range, harvested from across Dalefoot farm and the Lake District Fells. All our compost nutrients are organic and help gardeners move away from inorganic, heavily oil-based fertilisers used in many high street composts. This means our supply chain is much more ‘regenerative’ as well as our farming practices here at Dalefoot.”
As the first initiative of its kind, embedding this approach into the IUCN UK PP Peatland Code sets a global precedent and boosts confidence in similar schemes worldwide. According to the UUCN, this breakthrough is particularly relevant for countries with extensive peatlands, such as Canada, Scandinavia, Chile, and Argentina, which are developing their own restoration and carbon credit frameworks to support environmental restoration.
Dr Simon Carr, Associate Professor of Geography at University of Cumbria, said: “This is an example of how innovative environmental research on the peatlands of Cumbria and partnership with a local business, Barker & Bland Ltd, can yield immense benefits and impact. The research findings from Jack Brennand’s PhD project, expanded through an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership have enabled us to provide a key tool to one of the UK’s most important carbon credit schemes, making it more robust and offering greater confidence to future investors in nature-based approaches to tackling climate change.”
Airds Moss
Along with her team, Professor Barker is also actively working to restore part of the RSPB Scotland Airds Moss nature reserve in East Ayrshire—an important habitat for endangered bird species such as curlew and lapwing, both of which are red-listed due to significant population declines.
Working across 43 hectares, the team are restoring damaged drains, peat hags, and eroding gullies to reinstate a thriving blanket bog. Their efforts will create a mosaic of healthy wetland habitats, supporting vital bird and plant species.
