Natural England - Protecting and enhancing carbon stores

Protecting and enhancing carbon stores

England’s soils, vegetation and coastal systems store significant amounts of carbon and play a vital role in regulating our climate. By helping to protect these ecosystems from degradation and loss, land and marine managers can contribute to climate change mitigation.

Carbon management by land and marine managers

Natural England reviewed the scientific evidence on how land and marine managers can protect carbon stores and enhance carbon sequestration (the process by which carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere and stored in soils and vegetation).

We focused on five key ecosystems – peatlands, woodlands, agricultural soils, coasts and marine – to assess:

  • how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are emitted and stored, according to the way each ecosystem is used and managed
  • how land and marine managers can protect and enhance natural carbon stores
  • the potential for land and marine managers to participate in the emerging carbon market.

This is the first time that such a review has been undertaken for England.

The full report and information note can be downloaded from our Publications Catalogue, see
NERR026 - Carbon management by land and marine managersexternal link

  • The Peat Partnership Project

    The Peat Partnership Project was established by Defra, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission, Natural England, the Countryside Commission for Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in late 2007.

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