Today the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Commission of Inquiry on Peatlands launches its findings.
Dr Jill Labadz, an academic in the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, led the hydrology review for this global IUCN inquiry, which has revealed the enormous importance of our peatlands for both people and wildlife.
Dr Labadz’s review team investigated how water behaves in peatlands and the drivers of change including climate, pollution, land-use and management. The team looked at the impacts of peat drainage and best practice in this activity, and considered projections of future climate and land-use impacts on UK peatlands.
Peatlands are areas of land formed over thousands of years from carbon-rich dead and decaying plants in water-logged conditions. This ‘Cinderella’ habitat – overlooked and undervalued – covers less than 3% of the land surface of Earth, but contains twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. Far from the hostile, barren wastelands that peatlands are often seen as, these stunning landscapes provide irreplaceable ecosystem services.
In ARES this subject is also linked to work in the Horticulture group which undertakes industry research for companies seeking to develop high quality peat alternatives.
Let's hope the report of the Review gets the serious attention it deserves. Read more at:
www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/resources
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