What are peatlands and what are the issues that we help with?
Peatlands are naturally waterlogged systems that slow decomposition and enable plant remains, containing carbon removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, to be locked in and laid down as peat. (Peatlands are also known as moors, bogs, mires, peat swamp forests, permafrost tundra, peat moss, muskegs, fens.)
Peatlands are not only beautiful, dramatic landscapes but are also important ecosystems full of inspiring wildlife. Peatlands are home to birds that like to nest in open ground, such as the curlew, snipe, golden plover and hen harrier. Red deer, mountain hares, lizards, amphibians, insect-eating sundew plants and a host of invertebrates also thrive on peatlands.
Peatlands are also incredibly important for people. 70% of Scotland’s drinking water is filtered through peatlands.
Healthy peatlands produce clean water which requires fewer chemicals to treat.
Peatland vegetation also slows the flow of rainfall, helping to prevent flooding in local towns and villages.
Peatlands represent the UK’s biggest store of carbon, accumulating over three billion tonnes of carbon, around the same amount as all the forests in the UK, France and Germany put together.
Much of the UK’s peatland, however, is no longer sequestering and storing carbon with 94% of the country’s natural peatland either destroyed or damaged. Due to previous land management practices, it has become a significant net source of greenhouse gases as it dries and degrades.