Case Study: Brabners and Kingsdale Head Peat Restoration Project
Brabners and Kingsdale Team meet at Kingsdale Head
Brabners LLP, and Kingsdale Head Farm are both members of Business Declares. Whilst they are two very different businesses, they both have a common goal of making a difference and doing what is right. Brabners LLP are an independent law firm with offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Lancashire and is a firm committed to bringing about positive change. Kingsdale Head Farm is transitioning from a traditional upland sheep farm in the Yorkshire Dales to a sustainable land management system, repairing damage to existing peat lands to stop carbon emissions and to start sequestering carbon in the future. The farm is also working to increase biodiversity on the land by selective scrub land creation; planting native trees in gills and eliminating sheep grazing from the fells to allow them to recover.
Brabners LLP were keen to support a peat restoration project. Kingsdale Head Farm, as part of the Great North Bog project, run by the Yorkshire Peat Partnership (YPP), were looking for a partner to fund a £50,000 funding need to finalise the finances for the peat restoration. Brabners agreed to fund YPP directly for this work, thereby unlocking the Yorkshire peatland restoration project. The result will be a substantial change in the landscape, working to stop the emissions of carbon and ending with net carbon capture. Furthermore, employees at Brabners LLP will volunteer their time bi-annually to give some hands-on support on the ground at Kingsdale Head Farm.
Highlights include: 61.28km of artificial drainage will be re-naturalised on 410 hectares of internationally important blanket bog habitat. Kingsdale Head is estimated to currently have 3.2 million m3 of peat soils representing 709640 equivalent tonnes of CO2. (YPP peatland condition assessment). As a result of intensive drainage Kingsdale Head is currently a significant net carbon source, potentially emitting 1980 tonnes of CO2eq per year from degraded blanket bog habitat and peat soils. (Based on peatland code figures). When the blanket bog at Kingsdale Head is returned to a near natural condition that potentially represents a prevented loss of up 1330 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. Biodiversity improvements across 608 hectares which corresponds to a 20% increase in biodiversity using the Defra Biodiversity Net gain metric.
Brabners LLP and Kingsdale Head Farm are grateful to Business Declares for facilitating the connection and this is a great example of companies working together for substantial environmental benefits. For more information about the partnership, please click here.
