Peatland ecosystems play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change. If we are not serious about their conservation then our greatest allies could be a ‘carbon bomb’. The United Nations has stated that ‘peat is a legitimate nature-based solution’. Thankfully, both the English and Scottish parliaments have agreed plans to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatland with increasing targets for 2025, 2030 and 2050. We need to hold politicians to these commitments. But how are peat environments developed? What is the mechanism for accumulating carbon?
Dynamic microbial processes and unique hydrology give peatlands their remarkable carbon storage capacity. Devastatingly, human activities, including harvesting peat and agriculture, are disrupting these microbial processes and jeopardising the carbon sequestration potential of these crucial ecosystems.
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