For Peat’s Sake: Save our Bogs!
More than 20 percent of Scotland is covered in peat soil, which is estimated to hold 1600 million tonnes of carbon. This is important to the environment, as it reduces how much carbon is being released into the environment. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and, while it is needed to stop the Earth’s oceans from freezing and make the planet habitable, too much can cause an increase in temperature which would have a serious negative affect on our oceans and planet in general.
With global warming and climate change an ever-nearing reality, it is important we preserve things, such as peatlands, which help keep the planet healthy. Unfortunately, around 80 percent of Scotland’s peatlands are believed to be degraded. This is a problem as while healthy peatlands produce more peat and store carbon in the soil, damaged ones do the opposite – they release more carbon into the atmosphere.
Julia Quinn is a member of Nature Scot’s peatland team, and she explains that peat is already partially decomposed and is found underwater where there is no oxygen. Therefore, it is an effective way to store carbon, as peat does not break back down into the environment so it can hold onto this carbon without releasing it into the atmosphere.
Scotland’s peat is mostly found in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland; however there are lowland bogs which can be found in the central belt, such as in Aberdeenshire. These lowland bogs can be up to 13 meters deep.
Quinn said: “It’s so special because of how much we have of it. It is unique to Scotland, it’s part of our cultural identity. It’s also a unique habitat for wildlife...it’s important for our biodiversity.”
One major threat that peatlands face is drainage, which was seen as an ‘improvement’ when the bogs were regularly drained in the past to use land for agriculture, forestry, or other purposes.
Quinn said: “We didn’t fully appreciate the importance of peatlands being wet…As soon as you drain the peatland, the soil becomes exposed to oxygen in the air and starts fully decomposing, releasing carbon dioxide. Scotland’s bogs are now the second biggest emitter [of CO2] for land use in Scotland.”
Working on a peatlands restoration project she emphasises how important these lands are to our culture and environment, even if we don’t see them every day: “They’re a part of our environment and incredibly important. But, we need more ecologists; we need contractors to be going out and undertaking more peatland restoration work. We’ve got a big challenge ahead.”
With a climate emergency closing in on us, let’s hope that these peatlands can be restored and set us on the right path to looking after our country, and our planet.