The Peatland Code is the certification standard for carbon-funded peatland restoration in the UK. It uses the latest science and is backed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the peatland industry and carbon market experts.
As of July 2024, the Peatland Code has validated 65 peatland restoration projects that are expected to prevent 2.5 mt of CO2e from entering the atmosphere. A further 176 peatland restoration projects are under development.
Peatlands provide many environmental benefits beyond their carbon-storing ability.
Peatlands are important ecosystems providing benefits such as:
Water quality improvements
Biodiversity benefits
Flood prevention
Employment opportunities
Landscape enhancement
"Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth and a stark example of how important our natural environment is to our wellbeing. Occupying just 3% of the Earth’s land surface, peatlands are our largest carbon store on land. They are places where people derive clean water and food, and can act as buffers for environmental disasters, such as flooding. They are also of global significance for biodiversity with the majority of peatland species and habitats rare, threatened or declining." ~ Inger Anderson, Director of the IUCN
Visit the Peatland Code website to learn more. For more on Forest Carbon’s involvement in developing this Code, head to ‘Our Story’.
Photograph of a degraded peatland in the Cairngorms National Park, near Glenshee. The bare peat is vulnerable to both oxidation and erosion.
Photograph of the Forest Carbon team out on site at Gameshope Loch, meeting the contractors who delivered the restoration
