It is important to know where peatland has been drained in the past when prioritising areas for restoration.

No comprehensive data exists, so ClimateXChange carried out a scoping study on whether the presence of drainage could be modelled using remote sensing data presented in the report ‘Detection of peatland drainage with remote sensing’.

The results were promising, and a second phase of work, ‘Comparison of remote sensing approaches for detection of peatland drainage in Scotland’, has refined how this might be taken forward in future.

Emissions reduction and habitat restoration are both important considerations in relation to peatland management and restoration in Scotland.

The WISE decision support tool has been developed to summarise all the information that is available at national scale on peatland locations and various condition indicators. This makes it easier to consider where peatland conservation and restoration may be most desirable.

This revised version from September 2014 includes an uncertainty map (p4) of the probability that a given area is highly suitable for restoration management. The tool is still being developed and we welcome feedback.

ClimateXChange has been involved in peatland research from the outset, particularly focused on the carbon benefits from peatland restoration and how it might contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reduction in Scotland.

The Durban Summit in December 2011 paved the way for wetland management, including peatland, to be included in national greenhouse gas emissions accounting.

ClimateXChange continues to explore the implications of the international guidance for greenhouse gas emissions accounting with specific reference to wetlands in Scotland. Download our reports using the links to the right. They are:

• Potential Abatement from Peatland Restoration exploring the range of possible CO2 emissions from Scottish peatland restoration, carbon savings from all peatland restoration carried out since 1990 and the potential for carbon savings up to 2027 and a realistic restoration abatement figure. Methane and nitrous oxide fluxes were not fully considered in this early work (February 2012, revised March 2013).
• Carbon Calculator – since 2011, applications for the development of wind farms of 50 MW or greater on peatland sites have been expected to use the Scottish Government’s Peatland Carbon Calculator (the C calculator) as part of their environmental impact assessment.This report reviews the current use of the C calculator in Scotland, and considers the potential for enhancing and extending its use.
• An assessment of the proposed IPCC “2013 Supplement to the 2006 guidelines: Wetlands” for use in GHG accounting of Scottish peatland restoration – a report examining the implications of the emission factors identified in the draft 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines – (February 2014).
• A more detailed technical review of the implications of the 2013 supplement 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands and a summary of the report (February 2015).