The Humber catchment area is at the heart of new University of Hull research that promises to bring about fresh thinking on land use change to help achieve the UK’s net zero target.
The project has received £4.5 million funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as a share of £14.5 million under phase two of the Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People programme (LUNZ).
The Rapid Engagement with Stressed Peatland Environments and Communities in Transformation (RESPECT) is a collaboration between the Universities of Hull, Glasgow Newcastle and Stirling, that brings together expertise in law, archaeology, ecology and environmental geography which will produce data, methods, landholder tools and proposals for governance reforms to change agricultural practices on peatland and reduce emissions from land use.
The £4.5 million project promises to bring about new ideas and approaches to land use change that will help achieve the UK’s net zero target. Governance reforms will be proposed to develop a framework for the social innovations, such as changes in land and farm management practices, necessary for transformative change.
Peatlands are one of the world’s most important habitats and the largest terrestrial carbon store. However, 80% of UK peatlands are in a damaged and deteriorating state, meaning they are often a carbon source rather than sink. This is alarming in the context of the climate emergency.
Restoring peatland is therefore an urgent priority for the UK, necessary to meet the net zero commitment. Two case study regions – the Humber and Forth Catchments in England and Scotland – will be investigated in-depth, where tensions exist between food production, historic environment preservation, carbon sequestration and ecological restoration.
The Humber catchment covers 20% of England and its peatlands, from heathery plateau peatlands covering the windswept tops of the Pennines and North York Moors via the remnants of the UK’s largest lowland raised bog complex in the Humberhead Peatlands to the salt marshes of the Humber estuary. Better management of the peatlands throughout this densely populated landscape has the potential to increase carbon storage, reduce flood and drought risks, and benefit humans and wildlife alike.
Professor Graham Ferrier, project leader of RESPECT at the University of Hull, said: “This new project provides an outstanding opportunity to develop further new land and farm management approaches and tools to aid farmers in achieving net zero goals. The project involves collaboration with a wide range of local stakeholders including Natural England, Historic England, the National Farmers Union, the National Centre for Resilience and the National Trust. The allocation of £730,000 to the University of Hull will allow us to apply our understanding of peatland function and how they respond to restoration to help develop tools for decision-making and prioritisation of restoration efforts.”
Dr Jane Bunting, Co-Investigator and Reader in Geography, said: “Peatlands keep a record of their own history in their layered sediments. Here at the University of Hull, we have developed techniques for translating the peatland archive into a sequence of maps which are readable by any stakeholder, enabling us to develop a longer-term view of how healthy peatlands function and when and how current peatlands began to deteriorate. This will enable us to make well informed recommendations for management for the long term health of peatlands and safety of their carbon sinks.”
RESPECT will collate data through novel interdisciplinary collection, modelling and engagement methods. These data will establish the capacity of land and land users to contribute to the net zero target, as well as generate other social and environmental co-benefits, balanced against conflicting land use demands, within the context of climate change.
Professor Jill Robbie, Project Investigator in the School of Law at the University of Glasgow, leading the project, said: “The UKRI funding comes at a crucial moment in the UK’s transition to net zero, and I am excited to coordinate the research in order to deliver useful and accessible tools to reduce emissions from land use.”
RESPECT will work closely with separately funded UKRI initiative, the Land Use for Net Zero Hub: Lunzhub.com. Established in November 2023, the LUNZ Hub is working to provide all four UK administrations with the rapid evidence they need to develop policies that will drive the UK land transformation required to achieve Net Zero by 2050, alongside other environmental targets.