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Peatlands and Carbon

Peatlands and Carbon. Prepared by Paul Leadbitter North Pennines AONB. What is Peat?. A soil that contains a high proportion of dead organic matter, that has accumulated over thousands of years in cold, wet conditions.

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Peatlands and Carbon

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  1. Peatlands and Carbon Prepared by Paul Leadbitter North Pennines AONB

  2. What is Peat? • A soil that contains a high proportion of dead organic matter, that has accumulated over thousands of years in cold, wet conditions. • The formation of peat is a very slow process, and it takes approximately 10 years for 1 mm to 1 cm of peat to form. • About half the weight of dry peat is carbon

  3. Peatlands absorb and emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases

  4. Healthly peatlands, covered by a continuous blanket of mosses, grasses and shrubs, can absorb and then lock away carbon

  5. Damaged or eroding peatlands will export carbon, as exposed peat washes or blows away

  6. The Global Situation Where are the world’s peatlands?

  7. The Global Situation

  8. Carbon Storage Healthy Wet Peatlands = carbon storage 2000 tonnes of carbon stored per hectare of peat*

  9. Europe has 515,000 km2 of peat

  10. UK has 17,500 km2 of peat Peat is the most important terrestrial carbon store in the UK Much of the peatland in the UK is protected under UK and EU law

  11. Carbon stored in UK peat = All the carbon stored in the forests of the UK, France and Germany combined.

  12. Peat is a significant store of carbon; • Restoring degraded peatlands can be a cost effective option; • Peat restoration is a fairly ‘simple’ procedure and is long lasting; • Peat restoration provides multiple benefits; • Using natural ecosystems as a carbon store is sustainable; • Peat as a carbon store is one tool at our disposal; • There is a global mandate to restore and conserve peatlands.

  13. Much peatland restoration is ongoing in the Pennines. This includes moorland drain blocking, as pictured here on Whitfield Moor in Northumberland

  14. Several university research studies in the Pennines are now examining how land management affects the carbon balance of moorlands.

  15. For more information on peatland restoration and research in the North Pennines, please contact the Peatscapes team via www.northpennines.org.uk Or Tel 01388 528801

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