Scott Davidson
Deputy Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability, University of Edinburgh
Yvonne Edwards
Forest, Peat and Rural Land Manager, University of Edinburgh
Land in Scotland is set to benefit from the planting of new forests and restoration of peatland in a bid to offset unavoidable carbon emissions and restore biodiversity.
The University of Edinburgh’s Forest and Peatland programme will sequester around 1 million tonnes of unavoidable carbon over the next 50 years — produced by essential travel, including emissions generated by international student flights.
Aligned with the ambition to reach net zero carbon by 2040, the University has already divested from fossil fuels, introduced a presumption against domestic flying, works to a sustainable food commitment, has made climate one of its three research priorities and has strong commitments to decarbonise its estate.
Investing in carbon reduction
While the University continues to do all it can to reduce carbon emissions from its own operations, the multi-million-pound woodland creation and peatland restoration scheme will offset any emissions that can’t be reduced to zero.
The multi-million-pound woodland creation
and peatland restoration scheme will offset
any emissions that can’t be reduced to zero.
Regenerating land
A total of 891 hectares of land at three different sites — Drumbrae near Bridge of Allan; Rullion Green Wood in the Pentland Hills Regional Park and Barvick Burn Wood in Perthshire — is set to be regenerated by the University.
As well as managing its own sites, the programme is working with landowners across Scotland to create woodland and restore peatland via negotiated payments to help them transition their land and support climate mitigation over 50 years of sequestration.
Yvonne Edwards, Forest, Peat and Rural Land Manager, says: “The global climate emergency and biodiversity loss go hand in hand. Creating woodlands and restoring peatlands is a nature-based solution that will help us achieve our own environmental goals and, at the same time, restoring Scotland’s landscape, making it more resilient for future generations.”
Benefits beyond carbon
In addition to removing and storing atmospheric carbon, the planted woodlands and restored peatlands will enhance biodiversity and benefit local communities.
Scott Davidson, Deputy Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability, adds: “In 2023, the University was ranked number four in the World (QS sustainability rankings) in recognition of our work to date, but we still need a step change in ambition to address the emerging environmental polycrisis.”
To realise this step change, the University is exploring an ambitious refresh of its climate strategy with an emphasis on biodiversity and a science-aligned decarbonisation pathway, en route to Zero by 2040. The University hopes to launch this later in 2024.
