British Ecological Society: Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change in the UK Report

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British Ecological Society: Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change in the UK Report

The British Ecological Society have today published their landmark report offering the first comprehensive assessment of the potential of nature-based solutions in the UK.

"Peatlands are nature’s superstars. If we’re serious about carbon in UK we have to look after our peatlands first. We have to stop draining them immediately, and then begin restoring and managing them effectively.”

— Dr Christian Dunn of Bangor University and lead author of the Peatlands chapter.

The report offers, for the first time, a complete assessment of the potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) to mitigate climate change and benefit biodiversity in the UK. Incorporating contributions from over 100 experts, the comprehensive evaluation of the available evidence details the strengths, limitations and trade-offs of NbS in different habitats across the UK.

A priority NbS identified in the report is the restoration of the UK’s peatlands. The UK’s 2.6 million hectares of peatland contain around 3 billion tonnes of carbon, but most are in a degraded state and are no longer actively sequestering carbon. Estimates suggest that they could be emitting 23 million tonnes of CO2e annually, equivalent to approximately half the amount released through the nation’s agricultural sector.

"Chapter 3: There is scope for the UK’s peatlands to be used more widely as nature-based solutions (NbS) to mitigate and adapt to our changing climate and help biodiversity to recover."

Read the full report here. 

Nature-based solutions for climate change in the UK cover

Credit: British Ecological Society