Integrating woodlands or forests with forage and livestock production systems can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agroforestry systems can also provide other benefits like diversification of farm income, shelter for livestock, fuelwood, carbon sequestration, nutrient management, reductions in soil erosion and leaching, biodiversity enhancement, and amenity value.
This policy brief explores the potential for carbon savings from agroforestry options in Scotland. There have been challenges in delivering the annual target of 10,000 ha new planting, and the report discusses the potential for silvo-pasture – those in which trees are planted at wide spacing into grazed, permanent pastures – and the multiple benefits it can deliver.
Launch Event – Social Assets in Community Renewables – This report was launched by ClimateXChange on November 8th 2013.
The Scottish Government has a target of 500 megawatts of community and locally-owned renewable energy by 2020. This means that government policy needs to maximise the uptake of community renewable energy projects. This report looks at the factors that underpin successful community energy projects.
Scotland has a significant potential for community energy, with 360 projects currently initiated. Despite the potential, only 44% of the proposed projects have become operational.
Drawing on a database of 276 Scottish community projects, this report identifies the social factors which influence the success of community energy projects through the various stages of development, from idea to operation.
Knowing these success factors can help policy makers to improve the uptake and success rate of community energy projects by:
- Investigating the motivators and barriers to community energy projects
- Identifying the key prerequisites for success, especially community social capital
- Recommending potential policy interventions to enhance social capital
- Assessing the potential and limitations of the predominant business models for community energy