
Soil carbon management
Scotland’s soils hold more than 3,000 megatonnes of carbon, around 60% of which is held in deep peat soils.
Scotland’s soils hold more than 3,000 megatonnes of carbon, around 60% of which is held in deep peat soils.
NatureScot is helping to protect and conserve Scotland’s important soils to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Our soil carbon store has built up over thousands of years. But this resource is increasingly at risk from change through the:
This resource takes such a long time to form and such a short time to lose that protecting the existing soil carbon store is our first priority.
No single agency has an overall lead role on soil carbon management issues. But NatureScot can support activities that closely relate to our own remit.
We set out our strategy in 2010 for protecting and conserving Scotland’s important soils to reduce the impacts of climate change through carbon loss. Our activities focus on the four priority areas below.
View the strategy as it was originally set out in full in NatureScot Board paper /10/1/2 - soil carbon.
‘Healthy’ functional soils, capable of delivering a full range of ecosystem services, are needed to support species and habitat condition and diversity.
NatureScot activities include:
Peatlands contain the highest stock of soil carbon in their peat deposits. Peat in Scotland’s wetlands is also a major carbon store.
NatureScot activities include:
Woodlands have the capacity to store atmospheric carbon in their timber and leaf litter, and either raise or lower soil carbon levels. We work closely with Forestry Commission Scotland on this priority area.
NatureScot activities include:
Positive land management practices can help to mitigate the effects of climate change. These can be encouraged via Scottish Rural Development Programme incentives.
We work with planners and developers to help deliver good development in the right places, and so protect soil carbon resources.
We also work with land managers and the public to ensure the sustainable management of Scotland’s land and soils. This will protect soils’ ability to deliver a wide range of environmental and ecological services.
We collaborate with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on this priority area.
NatureScot activities include:
Managing nature for carbon capture