Event Details

Peatlands are the largest terrestrial carbon storage and a potential carbon sink. However, anthropogenic pressures have degraded a large extent of this habitat and more recently, windfarm developments, a way to reduce our greenhouse emissions, are contributing to their degradation. This research quantifies the extent of the problem on blanket bogs.

Peatlands only cover the 3% of the Earth’s surface, but they are the most important terrestrial carbon storage and a potential carbon sink when in restored or pristine status. However, peatland degradation due to anthropogenic pressures have affected a large extent of them and most recently, windfarms developments; a way to reduce our emissions, is contributing to their degradation. This research aims to quantify the extent of windfarm infrastructures such as wind turbines and tracks in peatlands environments across one of the most important type of peatlands in Europe, blanket bogs.

Using geographical information systems and remote sensing techniques, a quantification of the total number of wind turbines across Spain, Wales, England and Scotland has been complete, as well as the total length of tracks affecting blanket peatlands. More than 3,398 wind turbines have been mapped on peatlands across the four countries and a total of 1413 km of tracks are affecting the peatlands included in this research.

The high density of wind turbines and tracks on peatlands could be affecting the hydrology and carbon function of peatlands. A further assessment needs to be undertaken in order to fully understand the impact of windfarm developments on natural carbon sinks.

Speaker Dr Guaduneth Chico is a Lecturer in Environmental Sciences and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University. He is active on Twitter @guaduneth, author of 'Wind farms built on carbon-rich peat bogs lose their ability to fight climate change' in The Conversation, and leads the Peatlands Research Group of the British Ecological Society.

Chair for the session is Dr Alona Armstrong, a Senior Lecturer in Energy & Environmental Sciences, NERC Industrial Innovation Fellow, Deputy Director of Energy Lancaster and leader of Lancaster's Energy Environment Interactions research team. Alona and the research team are both on Twitter: @Alona_Armstrong and @Energy_Environ respectively.

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