IUCN Investing in Peatlands: Learning from Success
Conference 20-22 October 2014, Inverness
We're holding our annual ‘Investing in Peatlands’ conference in Inverness this year and the focus this year will be on peatland management including restoration techniques and will present some of the latest research findings on the benefits of peatland restoration. There will also be an update on the work of the Peatland Code and the opportunities for private funding to compliment public funding.
We are keen for all peatland restoration projects in the UK and internationally to showcase their work through this event and encourage early registration and poster submissions
Full Conference Package
Early Bird - £290 inc VAT - Bookings before August 22nd
Standard - £350 inc VAT - 22nd August - 19th September
Late - there is no full conference package available after the 19th September.
Single Day rates
Early Bird: £65 inc VAT - Bookings before 22nd August
Standard: £75 inc VAT 22nd August to 19th September
Late: £80 inc VAT - 20th Sept - 3rd October Please note we will be unable to arrange accommodation for registrations made after the 20th September. After this date, you should book accommodation independently
Provisional Programme
DAY 1 - Monday 20th October
11:30 – 13:00 Registration
13:00 - Session 1
Taking stock: What progress is being made towards our peatland goals
The IUCN UK Peatland Programme Commission of Inquiry gave a recommendation to bring of 1 million ha of peat into good condition or under restoration management by 2020. This session will look at what has been achieved both in policy terms and in real outcomes on the ground. We will look at the tools available to help measure progress including national surveys, the latest remote sensing techniques and citizen science opportunities.
13:00 – Welcome
Scottish Government
13:15 – Overview of progress under the IUCN UK Peatland Programme
Summary of the work of the Partnership and achievements to date including Country level action from the statutory agencies and an EU perspective
13:45 – Peatland Mapping and Condition Assessment
Reports on peatland mapping of the resource and its condition in the 4 UK countries
14:00 – Global assessment of peatlands
A look at work to assess peatland distribution and condition globally.
Panel Discussion
Break
Session 2 - The new business and environment partnerships
Businesses are increasingly considering their role in helping secure a healthy environment. What type of support can businesses provide and how can we help make the peatland challenge relevant to businesses.
15:00 – Keynote speaker: Business and the environment partnerships
An overview of Business interest in supporting environmental objectives with individual examples from across the retail and food and drinks industry.
15:45 – How Enterprise can support Peatland action
Presentation to examine the role of Government Enterprise and Business innovation agencies in supporting environmental action.
16:00 - Peatland Carbon Code Pilot Phase Update
16:15 – Summary of Defra Research to support the Peatland Code
16:45 – Concluding Remarks and panel discussion
Poster Session
19:00 Welcome Dinner
Day 2 – Tuesday 21st October
09:00 – Welcome
09:05 Session 3– Learning from Restoration
Peatland restoration projects have been underway for several decades. What lessons can we learn about good restoration practice and the benefits it brings for carbon water and biodiversity.
09:05 – Peatland Restoration Guidance
Overview of the restoration guidance currently available
09:45 - Round One of Workshops
The Workshops are aimed at exploring the information available to support good peatland restoration/conservation management, how we measure progress in delivering restoration and how we can coordinate monitoring and survey on peatlands to support our goals.
There will be two rounds of 3 parallel workshops each lasting 50 minute
A.Peatland Restoration Guidelines
The objective of this workshop is to provide an opportunity to discuss the restoration guidance available, identify areas where consensus has not yet been reached and issues requiring further testing.
B. Peatland restoration and Forestry
An opportunity to look at what work is being done on restoration of peatlands from forestry and to identify monitoring and survey work required to help inform restoration management and provide information on the biodiversity, carbon and water impacts
C. Managing peatlands for Agriculture
Explore the opportunities for farming on lowland peatlands with lessons from across Europe to demonstrate how peatland function can be maintained alongside agriculture production.
10:45 – Round Two of Workshops
D. Peatland Code Pilot
Explore the Peatland Code Pilot work and the development of proxy methods to assess carbon benefits based on vegetation.
E. Coordinating Science, Policy and People
Identify opportunities for strategic work to better coordinate peatland science to inform policy. Also look at engaging communities and individuals in the monitoring and survey of peatland condition as well as outcomes for biodiversity carbon and water.
F. Consequences of Peatland Restoration for land managers
Explore the hurdles and opportunities for land managers in delivering peatland restoration and examine how the role of agriculture advisors, land agents and government grants can support this.
11:45 – Refreshments and prepare for field trips
12:00 -17:00 Fieldtrips
17:00-19:00 – Period of Leisure
19:15 – Meet at collection point for Civic Reception
19:30 – Civic Reception and evening dinner
Wednesday 22nd October
09:30 – Welcome Overview of Peatland Workshops Session 4 – A review of the evidence base for peatland ecosystem services
This session will look at the latest scientific work on peatlands and what developments are being made in understanding the impacts on carbon water and biodiversity.
09:45 - International peatland restoration lessons
10:00 - Flow Country Research Overview
10:20 – Peatland Carbon Research including Methane Management
10:50 –- Overview of Defra Science on Peatlands
11:05 – Peatlands and Water
11:35 – Panel Discussion
Session 5 – Looking Forward
11:50 – New initiatives for Peatlands
Summary of new strategic actions at a UK and international level to support peatlands
12:20 – Closing remarks and close of conference
Poster submission details Case studies on peatland restoration methodology, monitoring and Survey
We are looking for summaries of peatland restoration projects underway or completed to demonstrate methods of restoration as well as summarising any monitoring methods or scientific research on the impacts on water carbon and biodiversity.
Posters should provide a summary of the project ( as per the case study template for demo success projects) – collaborative examples under a particular theme eg within a region or partnership, or on a topic such as restoration from forestry, are welcomed.
We are also interested in posters from research bodies to summarise results of scientific work aimed at assessing restoration effectiveness, as well as work on assessing the impacts on carbon water and biodiversity
Posters will be displayed for the duration of the conference. We ask that all presenters attend the Poster Session on the Monday 20th October evening to discuss their work and answer questions from delegates.
After submission you will receive a confirmation email confirming you poster has been accepted and with more details on format and practicalities. If you have any additional questions please contact Rea Cris rea.cris@iucn.org.uk
Please share our conference with your colleagues and network.
National Peatland Plan Welcomed
IUCN UK Peatland Programme along with other environmental organisations welcomed the publication of the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) National Peatland Plan – the consultation on the future of Scotland’s peatland. SNH are seeking views on this important draft plan and is seen as fantastic progress towards protecting and enhancing Scotland’s peatlands.
For the first time, Scotland will have a strategy to secure the sustainable use, management and restoration of peatlands – an internationally important type of habitat and vital natural capital asset. Compiling the strategy involved input from a wide range of stakeholders, and involved drawing on the expertise of the IUCN Peatland Programme.
Head of Policy and Planning for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Dr. Maggie Keegan, said: ““Healthy peatlands store carbon, provide clean water, aid flood prevention and provide crucial habitat for plants and animals including bog rosemary, round-leaved sundew, greenshank, golden plover and dunlin. Sadly many of Scotland’s peatlands - including its lowland raised bogs - have become degraded by draining, overgrazing, burning or commercial peat extraction so this plan is a step in right direction to reversing past damage. The trick will be to ensure that there is adequate funding for restoration in the long term so that the benefits they provide can be enjoyed by future generations.”
Stuart Housden, Director RSPB Scotland, said: “RSPB Scotland has long worked to help bring peatlands into good condition, particularly at Scotland’s flagship site in the Flow Country. We look forward to working together with SNH and other partners on this vital plan to guide widescale peatland protection, management and restoration in Scotland to 2030. Bringing Scotland’s peatlands into good condition has proven environmental benefits alongside economic opportunities for rural communities and health benefits as wonderful outdoor places to enjoy. We hope this plan will enable a wide partnership of action with the right level of Government and private funding to ensure success. Scotland needs a long-term strategic approach to restoration of these habitats in order to ensure the greatest multiple benefits are achieved from bringing our damaged peatland back into good condition. We hope that the final plan will remove existing barriers and ensure the realisation of these ambitions, whilst enabling peatland restoration to play its part in assisting Scotland to meet its climate change targets.”
To find out more about SNH and Scotland's National Peatland Plan please click here.
Articles and news from IUCN UK PP and guest contributors
All go for Flow to the Future Project
It’s great to be able to report that after several years of development work, the Peatlands Partnership has received approval from the Heritage Lottery Fund for over £4 million worth of funding towards the Flow to the Future Project. Almost half of the £9.6 million project budget is to enable restoration of over 7 square miles of forested and previously forested deep peat blanket bog on Forsinard Flows RSPB Reserve in the heart of the Flow Country. There will also be a full time advisory officer to provide advice to land managers throughout the area on peatland management and restoration work.
A field centre will also be built as part of the project. This will include an education room, a small laboratory and bunk house level accommodation. This represents a huge improvement in facilities for volunteers and researchers working on peatland management and restoration in the area, and we hope it may even encourage more interest. The centre received planning permission back in January, so the detailed design stage can now begin, with building work starting next summer.
The five year project also includes an extensive programme of people engagement work to spread the word about the peatlands and also to involve people through volunteering and education. Plans include a travelling exhibition about the Flows, digital modelling work and the creation of a new multimedia presentation.
Other funding for the project is coming from Peatlands Partnership partners (including the Highland Council, HIE, FCS, SNH, RSPB), theTubney Trust, ERDF, WREN, Scottish Government, SRDP and with support in kind from the Environmental Research Institute and THC . For more details contact Caroline Eccles at caroline.eccles@rspb.org.uk or 01463 715000.
Exmoor Mires Bogtastic Day - 17th August 2014
A fun packed Adventure Day for all ages, exploring the bogs and wetlands of Exmoor with activities in and around Simonsbath (meadow & river) and Blackpitts (boggy moorland). Last summer it was attended by over 200 people!
The aim of this event is to raise awareness of Exmoor's nationally important and unique habitats and also the science behind peatlands/ bogs; whilst promoting enjoyment of Britain's open spaces.
This will be achieved though a weekend of games, activities (including scientific experiments), exhibitions, surveys and workshops; involving all the project partners of the Exmoor Mires Project. This year, the Parish Council and the local community are even more involved, incorporating a "village fair" aspect and a market place into the event. This ‘drop-in’ activity day has something for everyone, whatever the weather – indeed, the ‘wetter the better’! What better way to explore Exmoor’s bogs?!
Why not make a weekend of it and enjoy the ‘Wild Night Out’ event in Simonsbath the evening before. There will also be a ‘bioblitz’ over the two days.
Our boggy Blackpitts site started under going restoration from 1998 onwards and the success of the restoration in regards to raising the water table of the site has been demonstrated through our vegetation monitoring: Repeated vegetation surveys have shown a change in vegetation type from that dominated by Molinia caerulea, or locally known as ‘sedge grass’, to one of a thriving bog community. The vegetation survey done this June recorded 9 different Sphagnum species. This makes it a perfect place to illustrate the importance of peat, water, carbon and the wildlife benefits of a healthy peatland.
If you would like more information about Bogtastic! or the Exmoor Mires Project, the relevant web links are below: Facebook Page and Up Stream Thinking Website
Mark Reed's Professorial Inaugural Lecture
In this talk Prof Mark Reed challenges us to look differently at Britain's most overlooked landscape. He uses science, poetry, music and award-winning photography to explain why all of our lives literally depend on a place that most of us actively avoid ever visiting. In doing this, he examines how we and our decision-makers have come to know about a huge threat to this place, and how we need a new way of thinking if we are to solve this and many of the other major environmental challenges that the world faces today. Link to the video here and also read his blog post about how his research impacts on everyday life.
Conference on Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability - September 2014
The NRG BESS Conference 2014 on Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability will take place at the University of Southampton on the 8th and 9thof September 2014. This conference is open to all postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research assistants and research technicians and to both NRG BESS-members and non-members, so please circulate widely.
Registration and deadlines
Early bird registration and first round abstract submission: July 15th
Applications for financial assistance (for self-funded students): July 15th
Final deadline for abstract submission: August 1st – no abstracts will be accepted beyond this date!
Final registration deadline: August 15th - interest has been high and spaces are limited, so please register as soon as possible
To register (and book accommodation and the conference dinner), please go to the University of Southampton online store. To submit an abstract for an oral presentation or poster please go to our abstract submission page.
Abstract submission for oral presentations and posters
We invite you to attend, present a poster or give a talk. Abstracts for presentations and posters can be submitted for one of the four main conference themes: Upland Rivers, Coastal Landscapes, Urban Ecosystems and Lowland Multifunctional Landscapes. We will, however, accept abstracts for all BESS-related research. To submit an abstract, please click here. The deadline for the first round of abstract submission is July 15th and the final deadline for submission is August 1st.
Sponsorship
The main conference sponsor is BESS and co-sponsors are Geography and Environment at the University of Southampton and Sustainability Science at Southampton.
Training
A day of training in GIS - open to all - will be held on September 10th. For further details please click here or email training@nrgbess.net
Further information
For further details and regular updates, and to learn more about NRG BESS, please visit our website.
Any questions or queries should be emailed to conference@nrgbess.net
