Estimating Climate Benefits
Evaluating the contribution of restoration projects to climate change mitigation.
Restoring forests, peatlands, grasslands and wetlands is crucial for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change. Large-scale restoration stores carbon, boosts ecosystem resilience and supports nature-positive economies.
This project assessed how Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme projects contribute to climate change mitigation. It also developed practical resources to help practitioners estimate and communicate carbon benefits while keeping biodiversity goals front and centre.
What the project did
Using the EX-Ante Carbon-balance Tool (EX-ACT), the team evaluated the climate mitigation potential of 10 ELSP projects across more than 722,000 hectares over a 20-year period, comparing restoration outcomes with a business-as-usual scenario. Results were shared through a practitioner report and a policy brief, and presented internationally at COP26 to highlight how restoration delivers measurable climate benefits alongside biodiversity gains.
Key findings
Ten ELSP projects are projected to remove between 5.47 and 5.58 million tonnes of CO₂ over 20 years, similar to the emissions of about 30,000 European citizens in the same period.
Inland wetland restoration shows the highest mitigation potential, followed by conversion of cropland to grassland, then afforestation.
Many fires began in agricultural areas and spread into protected peatlands and forests, threatening species like the greater spotted eagle and aquatic warbler.
Projects improved ecological connectivity, reduced flood and fire risk, enhanced water quality and supported sustainable livelihoods.
Some ecosystems, especially coastal and marine habitats, still lack robust carbon data, so continued refinement and data sharing are needed.
Outputs
Climate change mitigation in the ELSP
Report showing how to use available tools, methods and data to estimate climate mitigation benefits of restoration activities, with examples from ELSP projects.
Climate Change Mitigation in the ELSP
Climate change mitigation in European seascapes
This report reviews the available evidence and methods for assessing climate mitigation potential in marine and coastal restoration projects across Europe. It identifies current knowledge gaps and highlights priorities for future research and investment.
Climate change mitigation in European seascapes
Policy brief: Nature-based solutions to climate change
Short brief for decision makers summarising how restoration contributes to biodiversity recovery, carbon storage and community benefits.
Policy Brief: Nature-based solutions to climate change
Policy brief: Climate mitigation in European seascapes
A short briefing for decision-makers summarising the climate mitigation potential of marine and coastal ecosystems and outlining the need for greater investment and improved evidence.
Climate change mitigation in European seascapes
Marine climate change references database
A curated database compiling scientific, policy and grey literature on blue carbon ecosystems such as seagrasses, saltmarshes, macroalgae, maerl and bivalve reefs. It includes information on carbon storage, sequestration, emissions, restoration interventions and policy relevance.
Marine climate change references database
Climate change mitigation summaries
The interventions covered in this assessment include peatland re-wetting, expansion of native woodlands across heather moorland, restructuring of Scot’s pine plantations, and the removal of non-native plantations. Cairngorms Connect also undertake collaborative deer management, to allow woodland expansion and peatland recovery, and restoration of floodplain mire and fen.
An assessment of the climate change mitigation potential of the landscape restoration project in Caemardin Farm, Wales. Part of the Summit to Sea completed Planning Grant; 1980-2020 and 2020-2040.
For this climate mitigation summary, the restoration intervention included in the assessment is afforestation.
An assessment of the climate change mitigation potential for the Cumbria Connect landscape. For this project, these interventions include afforestation on grassland and rewetting drained peatland.
An assessment of the climate change mitigation potential of the landscape restoration project in Faia Brava, Portugal. Part of Greater Côa Valley, 2000-2020.
This summary assesses carbon benefits due to improvements in the condition of ecosystems and reduced fire risk in the Greater Côa Valley.
This summary assesses carbon benefits due to improvements in ecosystem condition and reduced fire risk in the Iberian Highlands.
An assessment of the climate change mitigation potential of the landscape restoration project along the Iori River, Georgia. Restoration landscape, 2020-2040.
This summary assesses carbon benefits achieved by reforesting burned areas, restoring grasslands and reducing forest degradation by encouraging native oak forest growth in the Iron Curtain to Green Belt project.
An assessment of the climate change mitigation potential of the landscape restoration project in Montado Mosaic, Portugal. Planning grant, 2020-2040.
An assessment of the climate change mitigation potential of the landscape restoration project in Wildlands Limited, Cairngorms, Scotland. Part of Cairngorms Connect, 2000-2020.
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