Importance of Restoring Peatland Ecosystems

We recently posted a news story related to our work supporting the BogLIFE Project at Marshes Mosses in Shropshire in conjunction with Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The aim of BogLIFE is to restore the natural peatbog in the area, thereby increasing habitat and carbon capture.

Peatland ecosystems are some of the most carbon rich ecosystems on earth, storing up to 30 times more carbon per hectare than a tropical rainforest. This excellent short animation video from IUCN UK Peatland Programme shows exactly why peatlands are so important in relation to carbon capture and storage.

In the UK, as a result of decades of land management practices, 80% of peatlands are degraded. The Office for National Statistics estimates that fully restoring the UK’s degraded peatlands could cost between £8-22bn over the next 100 years, but would save £109bn in terms of reduced carbon emissions alone. Restoring UK’s peatlands should definitely form part of the UK’s carbon neutral strategy and RAB Consultants are dedicated to contributing towards this goal.