We asked Robbie Carnegie from Moors for the Future a few questions:
BMC: Tell us some cool things about sphagnum moss? MFF: Sphagnum moss is a key component of blanket bogs. It helps to protect peat as well as, over a long period, helping to regenerate it. Fully functioning blanket bog, with a healthy layer of sphagnum, stores carbon from the atmosphere, helping in the fight against climate change. Also, sphagnum can hold up to 20 times its weight in water, helping to keep water on the hilltops, and slow the flow of flood waters into valleys below. It also forms the basis of habitat for a wide range of precious plant and animal species.
How has the industrial revolution challenged this important little plant?
200 years of pollution dating back to the Industrial Revolution has led to pollution falling on the moors of the Peak District and South Pennines as acid rain. This means high levels of heavy metals (including copper, zinc, cadmium and lead) in the peat. These metals are so abundant that metal-eating bacteria normally found on scrapheaps have been found in the peat. Levels of zinc and copper in waterways coming off the moors are beyond EU thresholds. Acid rain has turned peat, in some cases, to the same pH as lemon juice. This has made the environment inhospitable for plants, including sphagnum moss.
How much carbon do our peatlands store and how does this relate to climate change? Peatlands occupy approximately 12% of the UK’s land area and store 5.5 billion tonnes of carbon, over half of the UK’s current carbon storage. Storing this carbon in the ground means it is not released into the atmosphere, where it would add to the greenhouse effect and contribute to global warming.
The revegetation and conservation of peatlands allows us to reduce erosion, enhance the quality of the landscape and transform a source of carbon into a sink. The impact this can have on the carbon in the Peak District is the equivalent of planting 15,000 broadleaved trees annually.
There’s another benefit, isn’t there, tell us about how peatlands affect drinking water? Blanket bogs are found on high moorland, at the top of the catchments that supply a quarter of the UK’s drinking water. Special moorland plants like sphagnum moss act as a sieve. However, where blanket bogs have been damaged, carbon from peat dissolves in the water, staining it brown. Erosion also allows heavy metals to be flushed into the water, polluting it, and streams may also become more acidic. All of this means expensive water treatment is necessary. Water companies in the area have to dispose of sediment in their reservoirs as toxic waste when dredged because of the abundance of heavy metals. By conserving blanket bog, we are tackling water issues directly at the source. We’re allowing nature to improve the quality of raw water leaving the moor.
How much of a fire risk is caused by barren peatlands?
Degraded, bare peat dries out much more easily than healthy blanket bog. And in its dried state, it burns easily (it is used as fuel in areas of Scotland and Ireland). Peatland fires can extend for several miles, often burning underground.
Which rare wildlife species live on our blanket bogs, and how have they fared since the Industrial Revolution?
Degraded peat bogs have been stripped of vegetation and, as a result, of wildlife. With the return of
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Fast facts:
• Peatlands cover just 3% of the world’s surface but hold nearly 30% of the soil carbon
• Global peatlands contain at least 550 Gigatonnes of carbon, more than twice the carbon stored in all forests
• The UK’s peatlands store over 5.5 billion tonnes of carbon, around the same amount as all the forest in the UK, France and Germany put together
• Peat is the single biggest store of carbon in the UK, BMC HANDBOOK |
www.thebmc.co.uk | 35
storing the equivalent of 20 years of all UK CO2 emissions and keeping it out of the atmosphere.
• 70% of UK drinking water comes from upland areas dominated by peatlands
• Peatland vegetation slows the flow of rainfall, helping to prevent flooding in local towns and villages • In the UK at least 80% of peatlands are damaged
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