Download Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and Environment

Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and Environment
Meeting to be held on 16 January 2008
Part I - Item No. 6
Electoral Division affected:
All.
‘Our Moors, Our Planet!’ Carbon Capture Programme
(Appendix ‘A’ refers)
Contact for further information:
Elliott Lorimer, 01772 533979, Environment Directorate.
[email protected]
Executive Summary
Moorland peat is the single largest carbon reserve in the UK, and Lancashire has a
significant proportion of the nation’s moorland. UK peat stores around 3 billion
tonnes of carbon, more than is stored in the forests of Britain and France combined.
Conversely, it has been estimated that drying peat releases as much carbon into the
atmosphere each year as the entire transportation system of the UK.
Moorland has been important to Lancashire people for hundreds of years, and is a
significant factor in the local economy. During the last two centuries, moorlands
have been drained in an attempt to lower the water table, dry the land and make it
more productive. This has significantly degraded areas of Lancashire’s moorland
with serious consequences: reduced capacity to capture and store carbon;
moorland fires because of dry conditions; reduced capacity to moderate flooding;
loss of biodiversity and a poor countryside access experience.
Building on pilot work, this report seeks approval to establish a programme of
activity to ‘re-wet’ carefully selected moorland sites, working in partnership with
other agencies. Funding from other sources will be matched with the County
Council’s contributions to help capture and lock in carbon as well as reducing fire
and flood risks. Importantly, this project will begin to implement one of the
recommendations from the Pitt Review into the recent national floods in 2007.
This is a very cost effective way of reducing carbon emissions from Lancashire.
Recommendation
The Cabinet Committee be requested to approve £30,000 per year for three years
from the ‘Green Initiatives’ budget to implement the ‘Our Moors, Our Planet!’ carbon
capture programme as set out in this report.
-2Background
Why are moors important for addressing climate change?
Peatlands (the vast majority of which comprise upland moors) are the single largest
carbon reserve in the UK. In terms of carbon, it would not be unreasonable to
describe them as Lancashire’s equivalent of Amazonian rainforest.
With around 3 billion tonnes of carbon, more carbon is stored in UK peat than in the
forests of Britain and France combined. Peat bogs can actively sequester (or fix)
carbon. As peat forms it locks in carbon contained in plant matter and prevents it
from being released into the atmosphere. Because of this, moorland is commonly
described as a ‘sink’ for atmospheric carbon (CO2) rather than a source of it.
Scientists from Durham University estimate that all of the peatlands in England and
Wales could absorb around 400,000 tonnes of carbon a year if in pristine condition.
This is the equivalent to the CO2 emissions from 84,000 family-sized cars per year.
Conversely, it has been estimated that drying peat releases as much carbon into the
atmosphere each year as the entire transportation system of the UK.
Carbon loss from peatlands.
A recent paper in ‘Nature’ gave the alarming figures that 80% of all the carbon losses
from UK soils are derived from moorland peat soils. If moorland is damaged by
wildfire, air pollution or inappropriate land management such as over-grazing,
excessive burning or drainage, resulting in erosion, scientists estimate that the UK
could emit up to 381,000 tonnes of carbon a year. Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of
Natural England highlighted this problem at a recent conference on moorland
restoration, noting:
“Evidence shows that the degradation of peat is releasing five times more
carbon into the atmosphere every year than all domestic flights in the UK.
Peat soils contain significant amounts of carbon and if damaged, can become
a major source of emissions”.
Restoration of moorland for carbon
Bare peat re-vegetation:
Re-vegetation of bare peat can lead to 40-70% vegetation cover within 2 years and
thereby stabilise peat. This reduces carbon loss and enhances carbon sequestration
through primary productivity. Intact bog vegetation can fix up to 35 tonnes
carbon/km2 per year.
Grip blocking:
Moorland drainage ditches are often referred to as “grips”. These grips were built in
the past in an attempt to lower the level of the water-table such that the productivity
of the land might be increased. However, in addition to a limited improvement in
productivity, several negative environmental impacts have resulted, including
increased downstream flood risk and peat erosion, reduced water quality and a
decrease in moorland biodiversity.
-3-
Research carried out on Peak District moorland has found that blocking of these
grips and restoration significantly enhances carbon fixation rates of moorland. The
technique can accumulate sediment layers of up to 40cm in height within 1 year and
also help raise water tables.
Other land management measures:
Land managers can contribute to sympathetic carbon land management. Reducing
grazing, drainage and burning further enhance the carbon storage potential of
moorland and help to revert carbon sources to carbon sinks.
Multiple benefits of moorland restoration
Reduction in flood events:
Moorland drainage in particular has been cited in contributing to down-stream flash
flooding (such as in Sheffield in 2007). A restored moorland can hold water
upstream for longer periods helping to reduce peak flow and consequently
downstream flood events. The interim report of the Pitt Review: Learning Lessons
from the 2007 Floods, published by the Cabinet Office in December 2007,
recommends that government departments and agencies, working with local
partners should consider how to improve water storage through natural processes
(e.g. raising the water-table on moorland):
“…DEFRA, the Environment Agency and Natural England should work with
partners to establish a programme and framework to achieve greater working
with natural processes, including the identification of appropriate sites and the
development of more incentives for creating water storage…”
Pitt Review Interim Conclusion 31
Reduced fire risk:
Degraded moorlands are at high risk of accidental fires. Fires cause long-term
damage to moorland carbon stocks. In addition, fire fighting of these costs the UK
economy more than £1 million each year. Between 2003 and 2007, there were 18
primary moorland fires in Lancashire, requiring more than four appliances attending
each incident for several days in some cases (see Appendix ‘A’). The cost of each
appliance in attendance can be estimated at approximately £250/hour. Wet,
restored moorland can help to reduce the incidence and extent of moorland fires
reducing the costs for fire services and also limiting long-term damage to the
moorland ecosystem.
Reduction in water colour:
Water companies spend millions of pounds and significant amounts of energy
removing colour from water from upland catchments. Early research evidence
suggests moorland restoration can significantly reduce colouration and hence carbon
emissions.
Increased biodiversity:
Moorland restoration can help to enhance important wildlife habitats and restore
species diversity.
-4-
Improvement of natural beauty and recreational value:
Uplands are among the most popular tourist destinations. Tourism is one of the
main income streams for many upland communities.
Pilot Projects in Lancashire
West Pennine Moors Moorland Re-wetting Pilots:
The West Pennine Moors has piloted moorland re-wetting techniques, blocking grips
on moorland (see Appendix ‘A’) during 2007, with further work to be completed by
March 2008. This work was funded by the Environment Agency. In addition, United
Utilities have carried some limited grip-blocking on Anglezarke Moor in Chorley
during 2006. These have helped project partners to estimate the likely success of
this and any future moorland re-wetting work with the West Pennine Moors and
Lancashire as a whole. The County Council has contributed to this pilot.
Sustainable Catchment Management Programme:
The Sustainable Catchment Management Programme (SCaMP), which has been
developed in association with the RSPB, aims to apply an integrated approach to
catchment management within two key areas of United Utilities land, Forest of
Bowland in Lancashire and the Peak District area. As part of this programme, 30km
of moorland grips have been blocked helping to restore and re-wet large areas of
moorland. United Utilities are seeking to extend this approach to areas within their
Central Catchment (including much of the West Pennine Moors and South Pennines
of Lancashire). The County Council has contributed to this pilot.
‘Our Moors, Our Planet!’ Programme Proposal:
The aim of the programme is to help restore and re-wet areas of moorland of
Lancashire over the next 3 years, helping to stop carbon loss from moorland and
promote vegetation that “locks up” atmospheric carbon.
In addition to these reductions in atmospheric carbon, the programme will also
provide multiple benefits, for example:
 Reduction in flood events
 Reduction in moorland fire risk
 Improved in water colour
 Increased biodiversity
 Improvement of natural beauty and recreational value
Potential areas of search for project work
The programme will develop projects that address areas of both opportunity (e.g.
funding, willing landowners/partners) and need (e.g. areas of severely degraded
moorland). Listed below are the principal areas of search:
 Bowland High Fells
 West Pennine Moors
 South Pennines
 Raised bogs and mires of Lancashire
-5Potential Project/Delivery Partners
Forest of Bowland AONB
West Pennine Moors partnership
Pennine Prospects
Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside
United Utilities
Private landowners
Commoners groups
Costs vs. Climate Change Benefits
It has been estimated by project partners that 1km 2 of degraded moorland with
significant areas of bare peat costs approximately £5,000 to stabilise the peat,
promote vegetation growth and prevent carbon loss over several years. Also,
blocking of 1km of grips of 1-2 metres average depth would cost approximately
£2,500. This is a very cost effective way of reducing carbon emissions in
Lancashire.
The created sink and avoided carbon loss combined from implementing the above
land management techniques could equate to 64-135 tonnes carbon each year from
1km2 of restored moorland (equivalent of up to 30 family saloon cars being taken off
Lancashire’s roads every year for every 1km2 of moorland).
Funding
The programme seeks £30,000/year from the ‘Green Initiatives’ budget, over the
next 3 years (2008-2012) to develop moorland re-wetting and restoration projects in
the areas of Lancashire identified above.
It is anticipated that funding from the County Council would be complemented by
“match-funding” from external sources (e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund, United Utilities,
Scout Moor Biodiversity Enhancement Fund), helping to maximise the impact of the
projects and programme as a whole.
In addition, any project work will seek to add value to any DEFRA-funded
Environmental Stewardship Scheme (or Countryside Stewardship Scheme)
agreements in place for any land in question. It is not the place of this programme to
support activity, which is a landowner’s responsibility under these agreements.
Timescale
Several projects are already under development within the areas of search detailed
above, which would allow for project activity to commence during 2008. Some of
these projects would require continued land management prescriptions to be
implemented over a number years, therefore the proposed 3 year programme would
allow these projects to develop successfully.
Consultations
-6N/A.
Advice
N/A.
Alternative options to be considered
N/A.
Implications: e.g. Financial, Legal, Personnel, Human Rights, Crime and Disorder
or Other
This item has the following implications:
Financial
The programme seeks £30,000/year from the ‘Green Initiatives’ budget, over the
next 3 years (2008-2011) to develop moorland re-wetting and restoration projects in
the areas of Lancashire identified above.
It is anticipated that funding from the County Council would be complemented by
“match-funding” from external sources (e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund, United Utilities,
Scout Moor Biodiversity Enhancement Fund), helping to maximise the impact of the
projects and programme as a whole.
Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985
List of Background Papers
Paper
Date
N/A.
Reason for inclusion in Part II, if appropriate
N/A.
Contact/Directorate/Ext