The Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs has awarded a contract for a Peat Evidence Review with an estimated total value of £276,000 (inc VAT) to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme which is hosted by The Wildlife Trusts.
The project will synthesise the latest European and UK research on peatlands to support future policy development in England. It will explore a wide range of policy-relevant questions, including:
- how peat restoration affects water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and flood risk;
- the changes in biogeochemical processes following rewetting;
- the greenhouse gas emissions associated with restoration activities and forest-to-bog conversion.
It will also investigate the resilience of peatland carbon stocks under climate change, the impacts and thresholds of grazing, the criteria for identifying unrestorable sites, and the potential for quantifying and monetising non-carbon benefits such as biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Each question will be examined in terms of evidence strength, quality, uncertainty, and scientific consensus, and findings will be organised into thematic chapters led by subject-matter experts to provide an evidence-based policy report.
The reports can be utilised as an evidence base to inform future policy and research by Defra and by others in the peatland community.
Current estimated start and end contract dates are 5 November 2025 to 16 March 2027, with a further possible extension to 17 September 2027 in the event of unforeseen circumstances
The direct contract award without competition was made to the single supplier for technical reasons on the basis that the project is a research requirement and therefore exempt from publication.
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.