Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) has partnered with Somerset Wildlife Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust to fund two nature-based carbon removal projects, investing £1m (US$1.3m) to remove 10,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from the atmosphere.
The projects, facilitated by non-profit Wilder Carbon, will see degraded former agricultural land transformed into species-rich habitats at Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve in Kent and Honeygar Farm in Somerset. Both meet the Wilder Carbon Standard for Nature and Climate. In addition to capturing carbon, the sites are expected to also support wildlife and ecology, contribute to flood alleviation and benefit local communities.
The carbon removed through these projects will offset GAL’s residual emissions between 2030 and 2039 – those that cannot be eliminated after the airport completes a £250m (US$335m) capital program to reduce its carbon footprint as far as possible. GAL is making the investment now to secure the transformation of the sites ahead of that period.
The announcement comes as GAL reaches the halfway point of its Decade of Change sustainability strategy, which includes a target to achieve net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. The airport has held the Wildlife Trusts Biodiversity Benchmark for 11 consecutive years.
Mark Edwards, head of sustainability at London Gatwick, said, “Collaborating with Wilder Carbon offered us the opportunity to support local, high integrity, nature-based projects that offered considerable benefits in addition to carbon removal. I’m delighted that Ironhurst is so close to the airport. I’m excited to see how nature will transform Ironhurst and Honeygar over the coming years.”
Georgia Dent, CEO of Somerset Wildlife Trust, said, “This partnership will help restore habitats and keep carbon secured in healthy peat at Honeygar for generations to come, delivering lasting benefits for climate and wildlife in Somerset.”
Ben Dart, COO at Kent Wildlife Trust, said, “Ironhurst Valley Nature Reserve represents exactly the kind of long-term, high-integrity investment that UK nature recovery urgently needs.”
The Ironhurst Valley site will be converted from arable and pasture land to a mix of species-rich grassland, wet floodplain meadow and mixed deciduous woodland, delivering biodiversity and soil health benefits alongside carbon removal.
GAL is a member of Sustainable Aviation, a UK coalition committed to net-zero carbon aviation, which earlier this year issued an advanced market signal committing members to invest more than £2m US$2.68m) in greenhouse gas removal (GGR) credits to support early development of the GGR market.
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