Peat bog plan helps architect firm offset its carbon

A SCOTTISH firm of architects and planners has invested in a peatland restoration project to offset its carbon footprint.

Halliday Fraser Munro, which is headquartered in Aberdeen, says it is the first Scottish firm to invest in the Highland Carbon project in Wester Ross in the north of Scotland.

This is a 341 hectare site of restored peatland and small lochs in Ross and Cromarty that is home to more than 60 species of birds, 100 plant types and 36 different species of fungi.

“Some of the most iconic species in Scotland have been spotted here, including pine marten, otter, mountain hare, golden eagle and dippers that thrive in and on the river that runs through the site,” Highland Carbon adds.

Peatland restoration involves returning water to dried peatlands to restore natural soil saturation. This in turn promotes bioversity and helps the peat act as a ‘carbon sink’ – absorbing greenhouse gasses.

The Wester Ross project has the capacity to absorb the equivalent of 750,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

David Halliday, managing director of Halliday Fraser Munro, said the investment – for an undisclosed sum – reflected the firm’s focus on sustainability.

“As architects and planners, sustainability has always been at the core of what we do,” he said. “Addressing our carbon footprint as a practice is a natural extension of how we have been working for decades.”

Richard Clarke, the managing director and founder of Highland Carbon, said: “A brilliant aspect of peatland restoration is that biodiversity benefits happen from the off, with birds and wildflowers immediately beginning to settle on the site.”