1. Climate Change and Land
Management – SEPA’s role
Janet Moxley (Senior Scientist – Climate Change)
and Lorna Harris (Wetland Ecologist), SEPA

2. Content
• Climate Change (Scotland) Act –
what is required? SEPA’s role?
• Analysis of existing monitoring data
(TOC and DOC)
• Link to land management pressures
• Developing policy and guidance

3. Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009
• 80% reduction by 2050
• Six greenhouse gases
• Interim target 42% 2020
• Duties on public bodies to contribute to the
delivery of targets in exercising its powers
(including decision making)
• Adaptation programme
• Land Use Strategy by 2011
• Energy Efficiency Action Plan

4. Other Scottish Policies
• Government’s Economic
Strategy
• Adaptation Framework
• Renewables Action Plan
20% by 2020
• 50% (electricity) by
2020 and 31% by
2011
• 11% (heat) by 2020
• 10% transport

5. SEPA’s role in addressing Climate
Change
• Keep up to date with climate change science
• Advise Scottish Government
• Regulate major energy users and producers
under PPC and EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
• Monitor key environmental parameters
• Advise business on energy and resource
efficiency and waste minimisation.
• Promote sustainable flood management
practices and lead flood warning
• Promote soil conservation
• Work with SEARs partners to minimise
emissions from agriculture and rural land use
sectors

6. TOC in Rivers
• 58 sites river have > 10 years
data. (All in N)
• 39 of these showed TOC
concentration increases, the rest
no trend.
• Only decreases were the Carron
(Falkirk) and Forth (Craigforth)
(< 10 y data).
• Increases mainly in east.
• Mean increase 0.12 mg/l/y –
increase of 0.25 mg/l over 20
years (doubling).
• Concs +vely correlated with flow
• “Spikier” results at 15 sites in NE

7. DOC in Lochs
• Good network of sites,
but generally < 6 years
data.
• Decreases in
concentration at 45
sites, increases at 8
sites.
• Unclear why lochs
show different trend to
rivers

8. Land Management and Carbon
• Changes in land management and use
suggested as causes of increased carbon loss
from soils (TOC increase in rivers)
• Soils in Scotland contain ~3000Mt C
• Peatlands contain 53% of Scottish carbon
store
• Scottish peatlands may accumulate up to 0.4
Mt C per year – if in good condition...
• Floods Act requires sustainable approach to
flood management
• Restoring peatlands can help to mitigate
climate change by improving carbon storage

9. • Work with SEARs partners to minimise
carbon loss from all organic soils/peatland
usages
• Agriculture
• Hydro schemes
• Wind farms
• Wind Farms - Various problems arise when a
wind farm is located on peat;
• Changes to hydrology (drainage/flooding)
• Run-off, silt control
• Uncertain terrain – variable peat depth
• Excavated peat – suitable use?

10. • SEPA is working with SEARs partners, the
Scottish Renewables Forum, and the wind
farm industry to find solutions to the
various problems (including waste peat)
• Ongoing projects;
• ‘Good practice guidance for wind farm
construction’ – workshop in May 09, draft
documents produced
• Series of meetings with SEARs partners
and members of the wind farm industry to
discuss problems and identify solutions