CR-LU7
Sustainability Committee
Inquiry into Carbon Reduction in Wales: Rural Land Use Management and Carbon Reduction
Response from: National Trust
Introduction
1. The National Trust welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this enquiry. The Trust owns 50,000 ha of land in Wales for the benefit of the nation. A majority of this land is farmed, either by the Trust or by one of our 200 tenants. The Trust is also Europe’s largest conservation organisation, managing natural and historic heritage for conservation and public access.
2. The National Trust’s vision for agriculture1 is of an industry that delivers a range of benefits to the nation from the land with farmers nurturing the resources of soil, air and water, and minimising the use of non-renewable resources. We believe sustainable land management should be the cornerstone of farming and countryside in future.
3. Sustainable land management is about meeting the needs of current and future generations without depleting the resources provided by land upon which we all depend.
4. The Trust recognises the need for urgent action on climate change in order to keep global temperature rise within a +2ºC limit and to minimise harmful impacts on our natural and historic environment, economy and society. Recent evidence suggests this requires 80% emissions reduction by 2050, with a critical need for savings to be made in the next 10 years.
5. The National Trust believes that the protection and restoration of land based carbon is an urgent priority for efforts to tackle climate change. This submission is informed by our conservation and land management experience of managing significant land based carbon stores. Soil protection is one of the guiding principles of our approach to land management.
Key Issues
6. Soil is as equally important a resource as air and water, but the current level of protection is inadequate. Given its carbon storage function, it is essential for soil’s importance to be better recognised. Soils need the same protection as water at an EU level.
7. Management of land based carbon stores should be a core objective of agricultural practice. This will require land managers to have the necessary understanding and skills. Training, advice and awareness raising will be crucial to delivery.
8. There is a need for new financial mechanisms and investment to fund management of land-based carbon stores. We believe that land-based carbon should be included within carbon markets. Water company investment in catchment management which reduces the need for water treatment could also fund land management.
The Challenge
9. Welsh soils are estimated to store more than 195Mtonnes of carbon2. The annual decline in Welsh soil carbon as calculated by the Cranfield Institute is 1.2 Mtonnes. If this is all lost to the atmosphere this would equate to around 10% of Welsh emissions of green house gases (GHG). If soil released 1% of its stored carbon every year it would increase Wales’ carbon emissions by 25%. Climate change will exacerbate these losses as altered temperatures and rainfall patterns increase soil erosion.
10. Peat soils in Wales hold approximately 121Mt carbon. Peat has the potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere but when damaged is a source of carbon emissions, losing carbon faster than other soils. It is estimated that the UK’s peatlands could emit up to 381, 000 tonnes of carbon annually, but in pristine condition they could fix up to 18.9 tonnes carbon /km2 each year3. The extent of eroded peat in Wales has not been fully mapped, but recent estimates suggest losses in the range of 10 to 30 mm/ha/annum from bare peat surfaces.4
11. The National Trust is working to understand our main stores and sources of carbon emissions as well as carbon sinks. We recognise that a large amount of carbon is stored within the soil on our land, particular in peat but the amount of carbon in other soils is very significant. The extent of grassland in our ownership means that this is also likely to be a significant carbon sink. It is difficult to accurately calculate the amount of carbon being absorbed annually due to the lack of defined carbon sink rates but we can estimate this across our different land uses. The CALM tool indicates that agriculture is likely to be one of the Trust’s most significant sources of emissions.
Protecting land based carbon stores
12. The National Trust believes that action to conserve soil carbon deserves greater priority as part of Wales’ climate change programme. Land management should seek to protect soil carbon stores in order to slow the release of carbon and potentially, increase the amount of carbon stored.
13.The loss of organic carbon content from Welsh soils under arable and permanent grassland5 and associated increase in carbon emissions is driven by:
conversion of grassland, forests and natural vegetation to arable systems
deep ploughing, causing rapid mineralisation of organic matter
overgrazing which removes above ground vegetation, decreasing litter incorporation to the soil system
soil erosion
uncontrolled or poorly managed heather burns which burn the actual organic matter of the soil
increased temperatures.
14. Upland peat rich soils are particularly significant carbon stores6. Across Wales much upland peat has been damaged, principally through production support which encouraged drainage and conversion from heath/heather moor land to grassland for livestock grazing. The drainage of large areas of the uplands has damaged their capacity to hold water and this in itself limits their ability to buffer the impacts of sudden heavy rainfall events. Drainage has further damaged the peat soils which typically underlie these upland landscapes, leading to damaging impacts through increased carbon emissions as these peat soils dry and degrade.
15. Damaged peat soils are believed to be a source of carbon emissions7. There is a need for further research to determine the extent to which peatlands in Wales emit greenhouse gases, and an agreed approach to monitoring emissions. The National Trust has recently established carbon, water and vegetation monitoring on the Migneint, an internationally important blanket bog (see Case Study 1). This will enable us to monitor the impact of restoration activities.
16. Peatland restoration in Wales could contribute significant GHG emissions savings, although there is a need for further research to confirm the extent to which this is possible.8 There is at present no standard monitoring system or standard methodology for quantifying the benefits of peatland restoration. This will need to take account of the balance between carbon emissions reduction and increased methane -a particularly potent greenhouse gas- production which may result from peat restoration.
Delivering Emissions Reduction
17. The potential for changes to agricultural practice to reduce GHG emissions is well documented.9 Land management has significant potential to reduce GHG emissions and improve soil’s ability to store carbon. The extent of Wales’ grassland means that changes to grassland management has the greatest potential to deliver emissions reduction.10
18. Agricultural practice will only change if farmers understand what is required and see a benefit in doing so. The National Trust believes that the reduction of emissions from rural land use should be driven by a combination of regulation; funding; skills development and advice.
i) Regulation
At present there is no dedicated protection of soil. In the absence of a Soil Directive, soil does not have the same degree of protection as water, air or habitats. Regulations targeting habitats and water often deliver benefits for soil, but there is a need for targeted measures to protect land based carbon. The Trust believes that an EU Soils Directive is required to increase the statutory protection offered to soils and we would urge the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to press the EU to adopt this.
The Government should rigorously enforce the current requirements of cross compliance as these are beneficial for soil condition. WAG should also work with the other UK Governments to ensure that changes to cross compliance introduced through the EU CAP Health Check will be effective in protecting carbon stores on farm land.
Good practice which protects soil should be encouraged. The Trust recommends its farm tenants adopt the following measures to protect soil (see Appendix 1):
Code of Good Agricultural practice for the Protection of Soil;
vulnerable areas requiring special soil protection mapped;
Nutrient Management Plan drawn up;
positive actions to build soil organic matter;
best practice guidelines to minimise damage to soil structure followed;
minimum tillage adopted to improve structure and reduce erosion;
buffers and ditches carefully managed to prevent soil leaving the field.
Such measures should be promoted through a new and integrated Code of Good Agricultural Practice.
We suggest that it may be necessary to extend the requirement for EIA to priority and high risk areas identified by the Soil Map for Wales (e.g. peat soils). There should be a general presumption that no drainage or cultivation should take place on those soils that are 1011, 1013, 1021, 1022, and 1024 in the Soil Map of Wales Classification in order to protect carbon rich soils.
If farmers respond to global market trends by intensifying production then it will be essential that the regulatory mechanisms are in place to safeguard natural resources. Controls such as the Heather and Grass Burning Regulations will need to be rigorously enforced if they are to be effective in reducing damage to vegetation and soil. Regulatory requirements should be well promoted with advice and training available to assist land managers to meet them.
i) Advice, skills and training
In our experience, the key to empowering farmers to respond to change is to help them gain the right knowledge, skills and experience.
In 2005, the Trust began a Skills and Training for Rural Business project (sponsored by Barclays) which aims to try new approaches to integrating skills and vocational training across our farmed estate and hopefully beyond into the wider farming community. The project will deliver training and development to the Trust’s existing tenants, new entrants and farm advisory staff. The Trust are seeking both to improve existing skills, and to raise environmental standards and performance in land and business management, supporting the whole farm planning approach.
Advice can be a cost effective means of securing environmental improvement. Farming Connect should help farmers identify opportunities for emissions reduction and advise on how to achieve savings. Expert advice on best practice for soil and habitat management should be readily available and well promoted.
All land managers should receive training (as with welfare of livestock in transit) prior to/ or as a result of any EIA requests, and/or if they are responsible for particularly vulnerable soils. We would add that soil management and conservation should be a core training need for Tir Gofal -and similar- officers, as they are such integral architects of land management.
ii) Grants and Funding
The Trust believes that in future direct farm subsidies funded by CAP should be clearly linked to the delivery of public and environmental benefits with payments rewarding sustainable land management, including conservation of land-based carbon stores.
Agri-environment schemes are the most readily available measure by which WAG can encourage land management which reduces GHG emissions. At present, this is not one of the schemes’ objectives. It may be that habitat improvement funded by Tir Gofal has delivered incidental benefits for soil carbon but this has not been monitored or evaluated. Tir Gofal currently lacks reference to soil management and planning. It was not designed with soil protection in mind so can encourage improvement or cultivation of high risk soils, resulting in negative impacts on the soil function.
The Trust organised an expert seminar11 on the issue of carbon management which identified a number of changes which should be made to agri-environment schemes. Agri-environment schemes should encourage appropriate land management with new prescriptions specifically for carbon management:
soil protection measures
requiring optimum grazing
ensure ground cover at all times
manage heath vegetation to retain fully functioning peat bogs
discourage new drainage of peat
encourage re-wetting of deep peat
encourage zero cultivation and/or non inversion tillage management
The Catchment Sensitive Farm Scheme could also incorporate objectives other than pollution control. A multi-objective scheme could target larger areas requiring action to improve carbon storage -e.g. upland peat habitats- and support groups of farmers to cooperate to improve management. There is potential to link such cooperative action to collective product development and marketing.
The Trust believes these changes should be made as part of the review of Axis 2 of the Rural Development Plan in order to encourage and reward land management which conserves land based carbon stores.
However, entry to agri-environment schemes is restricted by the level of funding available. At present the level of demand for Tir Gofal outstrips the ability to fund new scheme agreements, and applicants face considerable delays in entering the scheme. The limited availability of agri-environment scheme agreements will limit their ability to reduce carbon emissions from land.
Agri-environment scheme payment levels must be sufficiently high to be an incentive to change land management practice. The appeal of agri-environment schemes may reduce if commodity prices increase and farmers are encouraged to intensify production. Agreements will also need to be of sufficient duration to allow for time for soil and vegetation quality to improve and ensure that the carbon savings are retained.
We agree with the recommendation of the Vision 2020 Group that an alternative to income forgone is required as the basis for payments so they reflect the value of the good delivered rather than just the costs of an action12. We urge WAG to investigate alternatives and - with the other UK Governments - press the EU to address this.
Investment in Carbon Management
19. At present there are inadequate financial incentives for land managers to conserve carbon stores. The market does not adequately provide such rewards so alternative mechanisms are required. This is crucial against a backdrop of increasing commodity prices, demand for food security and biofuel production which create pressure to intensify production and change land use. There is a risk of sustainable land management being an unattractive business option and important conservation activity being marginalised.13
20. Protection of carbon stores needs to be financially viable and generate income for land managers. The Trust suggests an approach which combines better use of public money to fund an integrated package of measures to support sustainable land management combined with new sources of income.
21. We believe there are viable options to divert a greater proportion of existing public funds to land management.14 The Trust believes that water companies should be encouraged to invest in land management to improve water quality at source, thereby reducing the need for expensive treatment. Catchment management programmes which reduce sedimentation of the water supply simultaneously improve carbon storage. This approach is being used to address erosion on the High Peak where the National Trust is part of a partnership of public, private and voluntary organisations2 facilitated by Moors for the Future, with investment from the local water company (see Case Study 2)
22. There are also opportunities to ensure that emerging income streams are designed to invest in land management. Private sector investment in land-based carbon storage through inclusion within carbon markets is required to help mitigate against dangerous climate change. The Government should work to ensure that the development of carbon markets includes options to support land management.
23. This will require an agreed system of measuring carbon sequestration and storage on land. At present there is no common standard for peatland restoration activities, or agreed method for calculating emissions reduction from pristine peat. Nor is there an agreed system for calculating carbon sinks in soil or vegetation. There is a need to clarify the balance between methane and carbon emissions from wet peat.
24. These issues will have to be resolved if land based carbon stores in the UK are to present an attractive investment for businesses wishing to purchase carbon credits. Investors will also need to be confident that the carbon savings will endure, and that the activity is a cost effective way to secure emissions reduction. WAG should support further research and pilot projects to test this approach, and work with other UK agencies to develop an agreed standard of measuring and monitoring land based carbon storage.
Conclusion
25. Emissions reduction and carbon storage are not at present a focus of regulatory controls or funding which influences land management. There are readily available opportunities to address this and encourage farmers to conserve land based carbon stores. Financial incentives for carbon management are essential and can be delivered partly through new agri-environment schemes. There is also a need for new investment in land management, with carbon markets having potential to generate investment from the private sector. Farmers and land managers will require training and advice to help them develop the skills necessary for this new area of activity.
Case Study 1- Upper Conwy Catchment Management Project
Integrated land management to restore a catchment, including peat bog.
Improving resilience to climate change.
Improving the environmental performance of farms.
The Ysbyty Estate is one of the largest in the Trust’s ownership including 51 agricultural tenancies, large areas of open mountain and the Migneint. This extensive area of blanket bog is designated as SSSI and SAC. This is a significantly important store of carbon, one of the largest of its kind in Wales, with the potential to become a nationally important carbon sink.
The Migneint is the source of the River Conwy with its streams feeding into Llyn Conwy. This lake provides some of the area’s drinking water. Much of the Migneint has been extensively drained and there is visible evidence of peat-erosion. Such erosion is a common cause of sedimentation which has to be removed from water supplies at a considerable expense.
This new project aims to restore the Upper Conwy to a healthy and robust catchment, with well managed soil and water resources. This includes a fully functioning peat bog eco-system, the water courses and rivers that flow through the catchment. This means working with the local community and a range of other stakeholders.
The first step is to improve understanding of the condition and processes of the Upper Conwy. Vegetation monitoring has taken place and a water level monitoring system has been installed. Measures will be taken to restore the peat bog- making it wetter and reducing erosion, encouraging sphagnum moss to spread. This will make the Mignient more resilient to the heat and drying of climate change.
The Migneint cannot be seen in isolation for neighbouring farms. Most hold grazing rights on the Migneint. Farm practice also effects water and soil quality in the catchment. The project will look at pollution risks and work with farmers to improve the environmental quality of their farms, and achieve optimum grazing levels. It is envisioned that the environmental benefits the farmers deliver can be used to promote and market their produce.
This project demonstrates the interdependence of soil and water, and the need for a management approach which recognises this. Restoring the blanket bog will have multiple benefits: increasing carbon storage, restoring a promoting biodiversity and improving water quality.
Case Study 2- High Peak
Eroding peat at the High Peak causes problems of water colouration and sedimentation which result in significant costs for Severn Trent Water, costs which are ultimately borne by water customers. Restoring the High Peak’s peatlands would not only benefit raw water quality, thus reducing the need for water treatment, but would also have significant benefits for biodiversity and landscape, and for wider society by reversing the loss of a significant carbon store.
The Ashop catchment in the Southern Pennines of Derbyshire covers about 125km2 of blanket peat bog of national and European importance, owned mainly by the National Trust. It supplies drinking water to the communities of Leicester, Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham, through the Ladybower reservoir system of Severn Trent Water plc.
Much of the peat, especially at high altitude, has been subject to erosion and degradation from the combined effects of drought, fire, overgrazing and atmospheric pollution. This has left vast areas of bare peat, with serious environmental, economic and social consequences:
Oxidation of a significant carbon store;
The designated SSSI and SAC blanket peat is in unfavourable condition;
The drinking water is discoloured (the reason for 50% of customer complaints) and needs expensive and energy intensive treatment. The problem has been getting worse since the mid nineties;
Peat erosion leads to sedimentation of the reservoirs, with 1-10 tonnes of peat slurry removed every day from Ladybower Reservoir. This peat has to be disposed of in landfill due to contamination with heavy metals from atmospheric deposition, and carcinogenic residues of the chemicals used in water treatment.
Dealing with these issues 'end of pipe’ and in isolation is proving expensive and ineffective, with a growing financial burden on the water company, its customers, the National Trust and the public purse. It also fails to restore the health of the blanket peat and the quality of the hugely valuable water resource.
A proactive and long term approach was needed at a much larger spatial scale. A voluntary, public and private partnership was established, now facilitated by Moors for the Future bringing together the National Trust, Natural England, Peak District National Park Authority, United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, Environment Agency, Derbyshire County Council, Sheffield City Council and several universities.
The Benefits of Peatland Restoration
The results of recent research carried out in the Peak District commissioned through the Moors for the Future partnership has shown that peatland restoration techniques can have multiple public benefits:
a) Carbon storage- Worrall, Evans and team15 have shown that both bare peat revegetation and gully blocking/grip blocking can both reduce carbon loss through erosion and enhance carbon sequestration, equating to net carbon storage of up to 135 tonnes carbon/km2 per year.
b) Improvements in water quality- Recent research by Helen O’Brien at Nottingham Trent University within the Ashop catchment (in press) has shown that gully blocking and the cessation of burning both result in a reduction in sediment run off. If replicated across the catchment, such management techniques should result in a significant decrease in the amount of sediment entering the Ladybower reservoir. The results for water colour are less clear, with an initial increase in water coloration following moorland management. However, this is expected to decrease with time, and there is strong evidence from elsewhere that peatland restoration can significantly reduce coloration.
In addition to these benefits, peatland restoration can help enhance wildlife habitats and restore species diversity, reduce flood risk and improve the natural beauty and recreational value of an area.
Restoring the Peat
After 25 years of restoration experiments supported by expert research, the Trust has found that the best long term way to restore peatlands is to 're-wet’ them. One technique is to block off the hundreds of gullies and historic drainage ditches (known as "grips”) that allow water to drain away, taking large amounts of peat sediment with it. Wood, stone and plastic dams are used to block water flow and prevent loss of sediment.
Water levels have been successfully raised in many areas. Re-vegetation with cotton grass also helps to stabilise further the peat and improve its water retention.
Within the High Peak, the Trust has identified the main peat areas at risk from erosion. Maps are being created of the gullies that need blocking most urgently, to provide the maximum protection to the key peat areas that are still intact. It is estimated that 25,000 gully blocks are needed to protect the intact peat at High Peak Estate. Currently 3,500 gully blocks have been put in place at a cost of £230,000.
As part of the Moors for the Future Partnership the Trust is involved in a range of activities to help restore and protect High Peak, including:
a) Changing grazing patterns by significantly reducing the number of livestock on the moors in order to slow down the rate of vegetation loss and subsequent erosion.
b) Preventing fires in the face of increasing summer temperatures and drought through local education programmes and a joint Fire Fighting Strategy for the Peak District moors.
c)Managing visitor impacts by re-routing footpaths on damaged parts of the moors and re-building footpaths using stone flags.
The Trust faces a challenge in reconciling the need to restore the peatland of the High Peak with the needs of visitors at this iconic site - in 1932 a group of ramblers staged a Mass Trespass of Kinder Scout that was to prove pivotal in the fight for the right to roam.
The Costs
The National Trust estimates that £5 million is needed to restore the priority 4km2 of bare peat on the High Peak estate through a mixture of vegetation restoration and gully blocking. This may seem like a large sum, but it is significantly less than the £25 million about to be spent by Severn Trent Water on its Ladybower water treatment works because the filters have again become clogged with sediment.
Appendix 1- The National Trust Soil Policy
The National Trust considers soil to be a critical natural and cultural resource that requires understanding, respect and stewardship. The Trust will strive:
a) to safeguard the conservation interests and natural processes associated with soils on its properties;
b) to ensure that the soils on its properties can fulfill a diversity of functions (such as the production of food, fibre and materials, or the protection of the environment) without loss of productive potential;
c) to integrate soil protection into the Trust’s policies and practices for the acquisition, and subsequent management, of land and buildings;
d) to promote soil protection in the Trust’s advocacy work and in the Trust’s environmental education programme.
2. Soil Policy Implementation Plan
Implementation of the Soil Policy requires the Trust to develop a Soil Management Strategy:
i) to obtain information on the nature and state of the soil resources on Trust properties; and identify specific conservation interests, natural processes and soil functions which merit protection;
ii) to review the management of Trust properties to see how soil degradation can be prevented and how any desired soil function can be sustained;
iii)to prepare guidance on soil protection for estate managers and farm tenants, and arrange training;
iv) to clarify Trust and tenant responsibilities for soil stewardship, and formalise these in the Trust’s Agricultural Policy, in its whole farm plans and in its farm tenancy agreements;
v) to enable Trust farm tenants to implement sustainable land uses and to practice soil protection, by giving technical support and incentives;
vi) to promote the Trust’s interests in soil conservation to members, the public and to schools - to prepare a "Soil Matters” education resource pack;
vii) to advocate soil protection measures in reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy, Common Land law, and pollution control laws; and advise the Government on its proposed Soil Protection Policy;
viii) to monitor the state of soils on Trust sites and set quality targets as appropriate;
ix) to extend the remit of Trust Committees to include soil conservation.
The National Trust Wales
October 2008
Notes
1. Agriculture 2000 and Beyond A policy for the National Trust (2000)
2. Estimating Carbon in Organic Soils- Sequestration and Emissions (ECOSSE) Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government, 2007
3. Carbon Flux from Peak District Moorlands Moors for the Future Research Note No 12
4. ECOSSE 2007
5. Critical Appraisal of State and Pressures and Controls on the Sustainable Use of Soils in Wales Organic Matter, Chapter 7 Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, 2002
http://www.ceh.ac.uk/sections/bef/Wales_Soil_Scoping_Study.html)
6. Estimating Carbon in Organic Soils- Sequestration and Emissions (ECOSSE) Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government, 2007
http://new.wales.gov.uk/docrepos/40382/4038231121/1310184/ECOSSEFinal_Report-Final_V1.pdf?lang=en
7. Moors for the Future Research Note 12
8. AEA Energy & Environment 2008
9. See for example Smith, P. et al Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Agriculture 2007, and recommendations in the ECOSSE report 2007
10. AEA Energy & Environment 2008
11. Sinks, Stores and Soils - Conserving land based carbon Seminar Report, January 2008
12. Sustainable Farming and Environment- Action Towards 2020, Vision 2020 Group 2007
13. Vision 2020 Group 2007
14 Nature’s Capital- Investing in the Nation’s Natural Assets, The National Trust Wales 2008
15 Peak District Moorland Carbon Flux, Moors for the Future Research Note No 12, June 2007
