Peatland restoration at the Megget Reservoir and preventing carbon emissions
Wemyss and March Estate (WME) owns and manages around 12,000 acres of peat moorland and blanket bog in the Scottish Borders (all within the Megget catchment), a significant and important resource in the area. Much is in good condition and the carbon stored within it secure from the emissions that weaker areas of eroding or degraded peat haggs or bogs suffer from. The extremes of weather in exposed areas, couple with previous farming systems have eroded some areas with the result that exposed haggs are in decline and prone to emit carbon into the atmosphere rather than store it.
These areas are being actively restored and reconditioned with the help of funding from Nature Scot. Reprofiling the haggs and securing the surface by turfing will in time restore these areas. The bound surface once stable will stop continued emissions of carbon and rehabilitate the peat ecosystem so that the benefits of the habitat are returned.
To date WME have restored 1,250 acres of exposed peat hagg and regraded bogs and a further 690 acres are in planning to extend the restoration area. 1,250 acreas of restored peatland contributes approx. 155,000 tCO2e reduction (emission prevention)
TIME: The project has been delivered through 3 phases so far at the time of writing in Sep2023 (since 2017). Each phase took about 9 months in planning and 3 months in delivery.
COST: The total cost up to the delivery of 1,250 acres is approx. £259k with partial grant funding from NatureScot.
PARTNERS: Wemyss and March Estate, NatureScot, Forest Carbon, Tweed Forum, Peatland Carbon
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