“As a matter of principle, we aim to leave the land that we develop better than how we find it. That’s really what development with care is all about.”
“Peat”. It doesn’t sound all that glamorous… yet this crumbly, brown matter is one of the planet’s unsung heroes and plays a key role in the fight against climate change. After historic commercial forestry operations left it degraded in the 1970s we have started the vital restoration of peatland that exists at Kype Muir Wind Farm as part of Banks’ development with care commitments. We caught up with our own Robin Winstanley to discuss our progress.
Peatland makes up around one fifth of the Scottish landscape. A healthy peat bog can store almost twice as much carbon as a forest, provide an important habitat for many species including butterflies and owls, as well as working as a natural water filter and flood deterrent. When peatland is degraded its carbon stores react with oxygen, forming CO2 that is then released into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Over 80% of Scotland’s peatland has been degraded through heavy grazing, agriculture and forestry and this is affecting its ability to capture carbon.
Luckily, through the process of “rewetting” the restoration of peatland can be implemented almost immediately and over at Kype Muir we have already started work to restore the peat.
Robin added: “We are committed across all of our projects to having a net positive impact when it comes to climate change and biodiversity and consider early on in the design process what interventions we can employ to achieve that.”
Globally, peatland restoration would prevent the release of 394 million tonnes of CO2 each year and it is crucial that we not only restore these areas but enhance them for the future too.
Robin continued “As a matter of principle, we aim to leave the land that we develop better than how we find it. That’s really what development with care is all about.”
Here at The Banks Group we have an exciting opportunity to leave a legacy that not only benefits the local communities in and around Kype Muir itself but also for the planet as a whole. So why not give peat some love?