Today on 11 February, Natural England announced that six pioneering nature projects across England have been awarded major funding to trial the most effective ways to capture carbon and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The six projects, each operating on a landscape scale of more than 500 hectares, will restore landscapes throughout England – from Plymouth to Northumberland – while assessing how carbon is captured and stored in various habitats such as grasslands, forests, wetlands, and hedgerows.
The funding of £4.3 million will support the project-
The National Trust has been granted almost £1 million for the Wild Exmoor Carbon Sequestration Project, which will enable them to execute targeted nature-based solutions and carbon capture on their 670-hectare Watersmeet estate. By restoring and protecting coastal woodland, heathland habitats, species-rich grassland and wood pasture, the charity will create a wetter and wilder landscape.
Nearly £600,000 has been awarded to the Wansbeck Restoration for Climate Change (WRCC) project management. By restoring mixed habitats such as grasslands, peaty pockets, and woodlands, the project aims to demonstrate how landowners can collaborate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote carbon sequestration. The restoration of the River Wansbeck catchment in Northumberland will be accomplished by working across 10 sites, which will restore over 144 hectares and contribute to the wider restoration.
Approximately £1 million will be allocated to support Plymouth City Council and the National Trust in their Natural Grid Nature Based Solutions for Climate Change at the Landscape Scale project; this will involve restoring natural habitats and creating local solutions to climate change in the urban environment, such as wood pasture, species-rich grassland and woodland creation, salt marsh restoration and floodplain mosaic habitat creation.
The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been awarded £645,000 for its Derwent Forest Landscape Recovery partnership-led pilot project, part of the Derwent Connections Programme. The goal of this project is to establish links between the Northern and National Forests that will provide pathways for species to move in response to climate change. A programme that is economically viable will be created by landowners to develop and extend dynamic and resilient ecosystems.
The Freshwater Habitats Trust has been awarded over £780,000 for their Oxfordshire–Buckinghamshire Freshwater Network programme, which focuses on the role that smaller, peat-dominated wetlands, floodplains, wet grasslands and waters play in sequestering carbon in the landscape.
Freshwater biodiversity is in rapid decline, making these habitats of exceptional importance. The project will assist in gaining a greater comprehension of the part that these habitats can have in carbon sequestration. Freshwater Habitats Trust will also be aided in constructing the Freshwater Network – a national association of wilder, wetter, cleaner, and interconnected freshwaters – through this effort.
Source: Gov[Dot]UK
