Peatlands and Carbon

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Peatlands and Carbon
Prepared by Paul Leadbitter North Pennines AONB
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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

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Peatlands absorb and emit carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases
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Healthly peatlands, covered by a continuous
blanket of mosses, grasses and shrubs, can
absorb and then lock away carbon
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Damaged or eroding peatlands will export carbon,
as exposed peat washes or blows away
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The Global Situation
Where are the worlds peatlands?
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The Global Situation
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Carbon Storage

• Healthy Wet Peatlands carbon storage
• 2000 tonnes of carbon stored per hectare of peat

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Europe has 515,000 km2 of peat
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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
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Carbon stored in UK peat All the carbon stored
in the forests of the UK, France and Germany
combined.
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• 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.

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Much peatland restoration is ongoing in the
Pennines. This includes moorland drain blocking,
as pictured here on Whitfield Moor in
Northumberland
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Several university research studies in the
Pennines are now examining how land management
affects the carbon balance of moorlands.
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For more information on peatland restoration and
research in the North Pennines, please contact
the Peatscapes team via www.northpennines.org.u
k Or Tel [phone]