South Lanarkshire Biodiversity Partnership: Peatland restoration at windfarm sites

1. South Lanarkshire Biodiversity Partnership: Peatland restoration at windfarm sites SUMMARY Due to its central location and upland character South Lanarkshire has seen a proliferation of windfarm developments in recent years. Often the siting of these developments coincides with the occurrence of peat soils, particularly expanses of blanket bog. The South Lanarkshire Biodiversity Partnership has been working closely with developers and consultants to ensure that windfarm developments provide an opportunity for both biodiversity and climate change gains. BACKGROUND The peatlands of South Lanarkshire are a valuable resource as both a carbon store and as habitat for biodiversity. Due to its prime location near large centres of population and proximity to the grid, combined with large areas of upland, South Lanarkshire has become an area of focus for the development of large scale windfarms. The requirement for the development of Habitat Management Plans, as part of the planning process, has offered an unprecedented opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders to secure ecosystem management at the landscape scale. Such plans provide a focus for the restoration of large areas of bog, benefiting biodiversity and maximising the carbon storage potential of degraded habitats. The South Lanarkshire Biodiversity Partnership are working closely with developers, consultants and other key stakeholders to ensure that ecosystem service delivery is maintained/ improved and that landscape scale conservation takes place across the region. This process has required a significant amount of discussion and negotiation, and has been a steep learning curve for all involved! Of particular importance has been the close working between the Biodiversity Partnership (particularly SNH, SLC, FCS and the RSPB), SLC’s Planning Section, the consultants and the developers. A willingness to work together to deliver biodiversity gains has been, and continues to be, vital to ensure the success of the plans. Although all of the plans are currently in their early stages of implementation or development, some lessons for the future are already emerging. For example, several sites are experiencing high levels of conifer regeneration and its management is proving problematic. Future HMPs are benefitting from this experience, and mechanisms for regeneration control are being explored. It is also to ensure that a rigorous monitoring protocol is in place from the outset, in order to be able to measure success and intervene quickly if measures are in danger of failing. KEY CONTACTS Siân Williams Biodiversity Officer Sian.williams@southlanarkshire.gov.uk http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk WHAT IS A HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN? A habitat management plan (HMP) is a document which aims to provide a framework for the restoration of habitats on a windfarm site. It can cover the footprint of the development, part of the development or an area adjacent to the development site. The plans are generally prepared by a consultancy on behalf of the developer and in consultation with statutory agencies (e.g. the local authority, Forestry Commission Scotland and other stakeholders such as landowners, NGOs and special advisers). It will outline aims and objectives for habitat restoration, identify monitoring protocol and link in with local plans and policies such as the Local Biodiversity Action Plan. LOOKING AHEAD To date, Habitat Management Plans have been agreed for 3 operational sites, with a significant number of plans currently under development. It is anticipated that these plans will bring under positive management approximately 10-12% of South Lanarkshire’s land area within 5 years. When viewed in conjunction with similar plans in neighbouring Local Authority areas, it can be seen that significant steps are being taken towards delivering multiple Scottish Government objectives including sustainable development, renewable energy, carbon sequestration and ecosystem scale conservation of biodiversity. We plan to continue to work with developers and consultants as new applications come through, to ensure that this approach is maintained and that existing plans are implemented and monitored. Another area for exploration is the possibility of biodiversity offsetting, when on-site work is not possible. We also hope to learn from experiences and develop new ways to deliver peatland restoration on other development sites (for example mineral workings) in the future. Image