Habitat restoration project launched to combat climate change

Native habitat restoration is set to be scaled up in a new green carbon finance initiative with the Kent Wildlife Trust. Wilder Carbon will recognise the vital role habitats play in the fight against climate change by leveraging green carbon finance.

Native habitats are vital in the fight against climate change due to their ability to lock up atmospheric carbon. With increasing interest in locking carbon into soils, new research is being implemented constantly.

The scheme aims to restore these ecosystems through ‘wilding’

By restoring large areas of degraded landscapes, natural processes can be re-established. The aim is to ensure that conservation projects result in long-term carbon lock-up and real biodiversity gains, with an added level of transparency.

It awards companies challenging traditional offsetting, using a robust process to identify and verify approved UK carbon buyers seeking high-quality carbon credits who are demonstrably reducing their own carbon emissions.

Our Senior Certification Manager for Soil Association Certification, Andy Grundy, said: “Nature-based solutions are vital if society is going to tackle both the climate crisis and catastrophic loss of biodiversity.

Schemes like Wilder Carbon that offer multiple benefits to climate, nature and people are going to be pivotal, especially as more businesses want to become part of the solution to tackling these climate and biodiversity emergencies.

We were delighted to be approached by Wilder Carbon to help them develop a rigorous framework for third-party assurance of the scheme, which draws on high-integrity principles for carbon, biodiversity and buyer ethicality. 

We look forward to working closely with Wilder Carbon following the launch of these pathfinder projects to fine-tune their procedures as they work on scaling up their project portfolio.”

Soil Association Certification has worked closely with the Kent Wildlife Trust to develop a robust validation and verification process for all Wilder Carbon projects. They rigorously assessed the standard, tools, and procedures to ensure assurance on key issues such as additionality, permanence, and buyer ethicality.

The plans are already in action

Initial pathfinder projects have been identified: Somerset Wildlife Trust’s restoration of an 80-hectare site in the Somerset Levels called Honeygar, and Kent Wildlife Trust’s Heather Corrie Vale 50-hectare golf course wilding project. The restoration of these projects, funded by carbon finance, will make them wildlife-rich and climate resilient, and keep carbon locked up into the future – paving the way for nature’s recovery.

The pilot projects will help improve the data available to the development teams, and to further scale up the impact of the Wilder Carbon model.

Now established as a legal entity, Wilder Carbon is looking to scale up their work. The partnership with Soil Association Certification will be key to this through the design of a certified training program for project developers who want to follow their standards.

Find out more about the project by visiting www.wildercarbon.com.