How we partner with landowners to sequester carbon emissions

Universities face a dilemma: balancing global engagement with environmental responsibility.

Nature-based solutions, such as carbon sequestration – the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – in addition to proving wider benefits, are key to long-term sustainability goals.

However, no single institution can tackle this alone – partnerships are crucial. This resource offers guidance on developing meaningful, long-term collaborations that facilitate woodland and peatland restoration and deliver social, educational and ecological impact.

Moving beyond traditional university-led projects

Many universities focus on internal sustainability measures but overlook the power of external collaboration. The Forest and Peatland programme took a different approach: prioritising external partnerships to scale impact. 

This long-term and ambitious programme to restore peatlands and expand forests in Scotland will involve sequestering unavoidable carbon emissions, such as those produced from essential flights for research and international students. In addition to acquiring 887 hectares of owned land across three areas within 60 miles of the campus, the university is developing long-term partnerships (lasting 50-100 years) for woodland creation and peatland restoration.

Finding the right partners

Our partnerships with landowners such as rural estates and community-owned woodlands allow us to restore areas of woodland and peatland that collectively cover land around four times the size of our owned sites. Finding the right landowners to partner with involved extensive research and outreach. We not only had to proactively identify potential partners but also examine the values and goals of those who approached us.

A key factor in selecting partners was their existing commitment to ecological and social responsibility, paving the way for long-term, mutually beneficial collaborations. This alignment makes negotiations smoother, as the landowners have both the appetite and a planned approach for sustainability initiatives, which institutions can then fund and support. Working with a broad spectrum of partners requires us to tailor our programme to fit the unique characteristics and needs of each site.

In addition to the formal legal partnerships, we are also developing learning, teaching and research agreements with interested partners. One partner noted that the potential for education and research at their site is one of the most appealing aspects of the collaboration.

Tips for finding the right partners

· Partner with landowners, NGOs and communities that share land management, sustainability and social responsibility goals

· Understand what partners need and tailor projects to create win-win outcomes

· Seek partners invested in multi-decade land restoration efforts

· Conduct thorough due diligence on the values of potential partners. Assess not only their land, but their commitment to long-term ecological and social impact.

Structuring partnerships for success

The programme used a mix of formal agreements (land management, legal contracts) and flexible collaboration models (research, community engagement). Universities should assess their risk tolerance and governance structures. We prioritised early-stage relationship-building over transactional agreements.

We didn’t have the chance to start small with pilot collaborations because of the urgency and the need to work with partners we felt were a great fit for the university. While I believe pilots are always a good idea, in this case, we began with a heads of terms to lay the foundation for our partnership agreements.

Heads of terms is a non-binding agreement that outlines the principles of a business deal before drafting a formal contract. It serves as a preliminary document that ensures both parties are aligned on major points, such as the structure of the partnership and the roles and responsibilities of each party.

Universities as catalysts for innovation and learning

Partnering with external landowners and organisations enhances research and teaching opportunities. Where partners are keen to encourage education and research, their sites present opportunities as “living laboratories” creating unique hands-on learning spaces, offering opportunities for longitudinal research, environmental and social monitoring and more. These and other initiatives will strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations within the university and externally, to create meaningful research impact both across Scotland and internationally.

Universities’ research capabilities can be used to support partner goals, strengthen relationships and provide opportunities for real-world applications for students and staff. Having open-access data and collaborative research based on real-world challenges benefits not just the university and our partners, but also wider society.

Challenges and how to overcome them

· Bureaucracy v agility: universities often move slower than private or community partners – flexibility is key. Legal agreements require lawyers who are experienced in carbon agreements and land management. They can take time to agree and put in place.

· Bridging goals: a process of discussion and negotiation is essential to align and bridge differing and mutual objectives, foster collaboration and address varying priorities. This involves research and identifying partner priorities, as well as determining what the university is able to provide.

· Long-term funding: multi-decade projects require financial stability; securing diversified funding sources is crucial.

· Silos: we assigned a dedicated lead or team to build and maintain long-term relationships. To ensure a deep understanding of the risks and work involved, we believe this lead must be an expert in land management. By bridging different areas of the university, we were able to draw on expertise from both professional services and academics, making this approach possible.

· Driving change: scaling this approach requires a shift in mindset from “university-led” projects to co-created, partner initiatives. Partners are also driving change, and such collaborations provide the resources to implement desired changes with guidance and support. 

The future of university-led climate-action partnerships

Our model demonstrates that universities can be more than knowledge hubs – they can be active agents of ecological restoration. The higher education sector has a unique opportunity to lead by example in sustainability partnerships. By building the right partnerships, institutions can extend their impact far beyond their own campuses, creating tangible benefits for the environment, society and future generations.

David Bruce is the forest, peatlands and rural land manager in the department for social responsibility and sustainability at the University of Edinburgh. 

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