Scottish Highlands Kelp
DemonstrationMCC-2024-0041 • United Kingdom • Scottish Highlands
ACTIVE
Methodology
MCC-010
Country
United Kingdom
Scottish Highlands
Estimated Area
4,750 ha
Est. Credits/Year
7,100
Start Date
4/15/2024
Crediting Period
30 years
Project Description
Kelp forest (Laminaria hyperborea) reforestation across the western Highlands following decades of grazing-pressure decline. Pilot programme with three crofting communities; biochar pathway for permanence; integrated with Scottish Marine Plan.
Project lifecycle
Project workflowACTIVE
Milestones (4/5 completed)
- Baseline ecological surveyCOMPLETED
Establish pre-project ecological baseline using transect surveys, water quality sampling, and remote-sensing imagery analysis.
Due: 30 May 2026Completed: 1 Jun 2026 - Stakeholder consultation completedCOMPLETED
Open consultation with coastal communities, fisher cooperatives, and local authorities — minutes archived in project record.
Due: 29 Jul 2026Completed: 4 Aug 2026 - Field implementation kickoffCOMPLETED
On-site teams mobilised; planting, deployment, or protection-measures begin per methodology specification.
Due: 27 Sept 2026Completed: 12 Oct 2026 - First annual monitoring reportCOMPLETED
Year-one monitoring report compiled and submitted; covers biomass, GPS tracks, photo points, and community indicators.
Due: 25 Apr 2027Completed: 7 May 2027 - Independent validation site visitPENDING
VVB lead auditor visits project site, samples evidence, reviews documentation, drafts validation opinion.
Due: 24 Jul 2027
Validation & verification
Validation
ISO 14064-2:2019COMPLETED
Site visit: 27 Sept 2026 · Opinion issued: 27 Oct 2026
Positive validation opinion issued. The project as described in the PDD meets the eligibility, additionality, and methodology-application requirements of MCC.
Verification
10,525.55 net creditsCOMPLETED
Quantified
12,383
Buffer
15%
Period: 16 Nov 2026 – 16 Nov 2027
Monitoring data verified. Carbon / biodiversity quantifications consistent with PDD methodology and field evidence. No material misstatement identified.
AI assessment
PDD_COMPLETENESS_REVIEW · 30 May 2026Completeness
91%
Confidence
MEDIUM
95%
Recommendation
PROCEED_TO_ISSUANCE
Section analysis
- Project description92
- Baseline & additionality81
- Quantification86
- Monitoring plan79
- Safeguards & FPIC88
Risk flags
- LOWMETHODOLOGY_DEVIATION_LOW
- LOWEVIDENCE_GAP_MINOR
Technical review
COMPLETEDRECOMMEND APPROVE
Project meets all technical requirements. Methodology applied correctly; observations closed.
Findings (3)
- OBSERVATIONCLOSEDPDD §3.2 / Methodology baseline approachMinor clarification recommended on baseline-period selection rationale.Response: Project developer response submitted; revised section uploaded as v1.1 of PDD. Reviewer accepted.
- NON_CONFORMITY_MINORCLOSEDPDD §5.4 / Monitoring requirementsMonitoring plan should specify QA/QC sampling frequency for sediment carbon density.Response: Project developer response submitted; revised section uploaded as v1.1 of PDD. Reviewer accepted.
- OBSERVATIONCLOSEDPDD §7.1 / SD contributionCo-benefits narrative would benefit from quantified gender-disaggregated employment data.Response: Project developer response submitted; revised section uploaded as v1.1 of PDD. Reviewer accepted.
Sustainable development contributions
7.5
Overall score
Assessed: 29 Jul 2026Climate (SDG 13) contribution from carbon sequestration and avoided emissions in the project boundary.
Indicators (2)
- 9Annual CO2-eq sequestration13.20 tCO2e → 8420 tCO2e
- 7Climate resilience index (community survey)13.12.4 / 5 → 3.6 / 5
8.2
Overall score
SD-Vista EligibleAssessed: 29 Jul 2026Life Below Water (SDG 14) contribution from habitat protection, biodiversity recovery, and sustainable use of marine resources.
Indicators (3)
- 8Coral / seagrass / mangrove cover (%)14.238% → 52%
- 9Area effectively protected (ha)14.50 → 1250
- 8Fish biomass index (kg / 100 m²)14.412.1 → 18.7
6.8
Overall score
Assessed: 29 Jul 2026Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) contribution from local employment, training, and supply-chain participation.
Indicators (3)
- 7Local jobs created (FTE)8.50 → 34
- 8Women in project workforce (%)5.50% → 41%
- 7Households with improved livelihood income1.40 → 210
Safeguards & ESIA
Screened: 29 Jun 2026Risk category
CATEGORY_BFPIC status
OBTAINEDClearance
CLEAREDESIA required
YESESIA scoping completed; no Category-A risks identified. ESMP includes adaptive management triggers and grievance mechanism. FPIC documented with neighbouring communities.
Evidence library (8)
PHOTOGRAPHIC · 2FIELD_OBSERVATION · 2LAB_ANALYSIS · 1COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY · 1SATELLITE_IMAGERY · 1GPS_TRACK · 1
| Type | Description | Collected | GPS | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | Drone orthomosaic of project area at 5 cm GSD; overlap 80%/70%; captured in optimal tide window. | 28 Aug 2026 | — | ✓ 16 Nov 2026 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | Megafauna sightings log: turtles, sharks, cetaceans recorded with timestamp, GPS, and observer. | 13 Aug 2026 | — | — |
| LAB_ANALYSIS | Sediment carbon density samples analysed via LECO CN628; bulk density and organic carbon fractions. | 29 Jul 2026 | — | ✓ 27 Sept 2026 |
| COMMUNITY_TESTIMONY | Signed minutes from FPIC consultation with neighbouring fisher cooperative; questions and concessions recorded. | 14 Jul 2026 | — | — |
| SATELLITE_IMAGERY | Sentinel-2 L2A imagery, 10 m resolution, NDVI and water-index composites for monitoring period. | 29 Jun 2026 | — | ✓ 8 Aug 2026 |
| GPS_TRACK | Surveyor GPS track of restored / protected polygon perimeter; CSV exported from Garmin GPSMAP. | 14 Jun 2026 | — | — |
| PHOTOGRAPHIC | Geo-tagged photo points at 12 fixed monitoring stations; canopy cover and seedling survival visible. | 30 May 2026 | — | ✓ 19 Jun 2026 |
| FIELD_OBSERVATION | Quadrat sampling along three 100 m transects; species count and percent-cover recorded by trained ecologists. | 15 May 2026 | — | — |
Stakeholder consultation
CLOSEDOpened
29 Jun 2026
Closes
29 Jul 2026
Total comments
6
Reversal events (0 detected)
No reversal events detected. The buffer pool remains intact.
Live biodiversity (GBIF)
cached 24h · live polygon queryTotal records
266,085
Species observed
181
Sample size
300
Top 12 species in polygon
| Species | Vernacular | Records | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sciurus vulgaris | Red Squirrel | 11 | — |
| Ardea cinerea | Grey Heron | 9 | sample |
| Cervus elaphus | — | 6 | sample |
| Huperzia selago | Fir Clubmoss | 5 | sample |
| Haematopus ostralegus | Eurasian Oystercatcher | 5 | sample |
| Ulex europaeus | — | 5 | sample |
| Erithacus rubecula | European Robin | 4 | sample |
| Munida rugosa | — | 4 | sample |
| Tritonia hombergii | — | 4 | sample |
| Micrenophrys lilljeborgii | — | 4 | sample |
| Atalodoris pictoni | — | 4 | sample |
| Mergus merganser | Common Merganser | 4 | sample |
Source: Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) occurrence search — live polygon query, max 300 records sampled.
Continuous habitat monitoring
Sentinel-2 · CDSE · 1 snapshotsLatest period
1 Apr – 1 May 2026
NDVI mean
0.327
Habitat coverage
73.7%
Cloud cover
100%
Latest least-cloudy Sentinel-2 mosaic of the project area, retrieved live from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. Continuous monitoring runs monthly.
Biodiversity context
GBIF · OBIS (UNESCO-IOC) · public datasetsGBIF (all biodiversity)
Records
266,087
Species
184
Last 5y
300
Top species in sample
- Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 175811
- Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 17589
- Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 17586
- Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 17585
- Ulex europaeus L.5
OBIS (marine-only)
Records
49,128
Species
208
Last 5y
1
Top marine species in sample
- Limaria hians7
- Phocoena phocoena5
- Alcyonium digitatum5
- Luidia ciliaris4
- Saccharina latissima4
Sample of up to 300 occurrences each. GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) covers all taxa; OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, UNESCO-IOC) is the marine subset indexed against WoRMS. Both refresh daily via 24h cache.
Ocean color (chlorophyll, turbidity)
Sentinel-3 OLCI · CDSE · 2026-04Chlorophyll-a
2.41 mg/m³
NDCI
0.070
TSM proxy
0.134
Water quality
moderate · stable
Sentinel-3 OLCI 300 m daily revisit. Chlorophyll-a via OC4Me proxy; NDCI (Mishra & Mishra red-edge) is robust in turbid coastal water. Roadmap: live cron alongside Sentinel-2/Sentinel-1.
Vessel activity in project area
Spire Maritime · global AISUnique vessels (24h)
54
Boundary intrusions (7d)
7
Flag diversity
9
Top vessel types
- Tanker19
- Research18
- Fishing12
Sample MMSI traffic
688580585 · Patrol · CN
717940911 · Passenger · PA
517602561 · Cargo · AR
513451653 · Passenger · UK
Sample data shown. Live Spire Maritime AIS subscription required for production traffic monitoring; the backend endpoint is integrated and waiting on subscription activation.
High-resolution commercial snapshot
Planet Labs · PSSceneCapture date
2026-05-14
Resolution
3 m
Cloud cover
21.5%
Area covered
365 km²
Scene ID
20260514_2956_32_3832
Planet PlanetScope 3 m daily / SkySat 0.5 m on-demand. Used to validate Sentinel-derived signals at sub-Sentinel resolution. Backend integrated; live activation pending Orders API entitlement.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sample
NatureMetrics · MCC-EDNA-015-4614Collection date
2026-04-26
Species detected
77
IUCN red list (CR/EN/VU)
3
Top detections by read count
- Rhincodon typus · Whale sharkEN576 reads
- Cetorhinus maximus · Basking sharkEN126 reads
- Stenella longirostris · Spinner dolphin1,117 reads
- Rhizophora mangle · Red mangrove1,416 reads
- Eretmochelys imbricata · Hawksbill sea turtleCR2,269 reads
Sample composition shown. Live NatureMetrics workflow ships sampling kits to field teams; lab returns metabarcoded species assignments against WoRMS / GBIF references. Replaces with real lab output on first sampling cohort.
Created: 4/30/2026
Last Updated: 4/30/2026