Peatland Code Technical Advisory Board

February 2026: Minutes and actions from last TAB/General updates, Biodiversity, Verification methodology, Options around Restoration Validation in line with ISO standards, Redoing site survey after baseline has expired, AOB. 

Key Actions: 

• TAB agreed that more work is required on the Biodiversity methodology and supported the application for additional FIRNS funding.
• TAB discussed the verification methodology and TAB agreed that quality of the data rather than the methodology of capture should be the metric, so could include UAV’s, helicopters and remote sensing if the desired resolution is met so TAB encouraged not to make drones mandatory.
• Further discussion on agenda 5 and 6 will take place via email to get confirmation and answers to additional questions. 

November 2025 Agenda: Minutes and actions from last TAB/General updates, Exclusion zone around water courses, Missed areas at restoration validation continued discussion, Shallow peat areas in highly anthropogenic influenced peatlands (like Islay), SBTi consultation and AOB

Key Actions: 

• TAB agrees with the approach for missed areas for restoration validation
• All TAB members need to think more about how shallower cut peatlands can be included
  in the PC.
• Discussion on SBTi and PC team will be responding and have encouraged TAB members to also respond
• Discussed the proposal of combining Project Plan and Restoration Validation into one process

September 2025 Agenda: Minutes and actions from last TAB, General updates,  Wildfires before and during a PC project,  Missed areas during restoration and Verification methodology

Key actions:

• TAB members and PC team to continue discussion on classifying/defining Wildfire severity how would it will be included in the code. 
  TAB members and PC team to continue conversation on missed areas of restoration found at restoration validation.
• PC team to have guidance for the inclusion of drone and 360 aerials for the next TAB.

Agreed:

• Aerials and 360 camara’s have potential to be important component for verifications but should be an option and not mandatory.

May 2025 Agenda: General update/Annual verification methodology/Peatland Code Buffer/ Mapping A.E Hag Gully 5

Key actions:

• Reflect on how both PC and the inventory are mapping the emissions and determine whether the net calculations are coming to the same conclusion.
• Review the scientific literature to see what the drainage impact of Actively Eroding Hagg gully versus Flat bare

November Agenda: General updates /Version 2.1 of the Peatland Code /Version update process/AOB  

Key Actions and Agreements 

• Update meeting
• TAB agreed with the approach to publish minor changes and delay the release of V2.1 for winter 2024/25 

June Agenda: General Update/V2.1 Consultation Feedback/Methane Emissions Calculations in Fens/Water Table measurements in Fens. 

Key Actions and Agreements 

• Reducing minimum peat depth for Fens.
• Reversal move from 75% of assessment units to 90% to become verified.
• Risk buffer to change from 15% to 20%.
• Longer site survey recommended.
• Dipwells to replace rust rods in the Field Protocol for Fens 
   

February Agenda: General Update/Risk Buffer Guidance Update/FIRNS Biodiversity Crediting Project/Version 2.1 of the Peatland Code  

Key Actions and Agreements 

Version 2.1: TAB are supportive of version 2.1 release and have no objections to the proposed timeline. 

November Agenda: 
General Update/Evidencing deep peat /Drainage buffer around water bodies/High Winter Water table fens. 

Key Actions and Agreements 

• Drainage Buffer - 30 metres buffer has been adopted as we're basing it on the other buffer area for ditch blocking. No rewetting credits in this buffer, but revegetation credits can be generated in this exclusion zone 
• High Winter Water table fens: TAB members will look at CO₂ and Methane mean water table, possibly building into the calculator the expected methane emission from monthly mean water tables data.

August  Agenda:  
General Update/Version 2 of the Peatland Code Amendments/Future Developments of the Peatland Code. 

Chair : Emma Hinchliffe
Secretariat: Harriet Santon