Eighty percent of England’s peatlands are dry and degraded, mapping shows

New mapping of England’s peatlands has revealed that 80% of the habitats are adust and degraded.

Scientists mapped England’s peatlands and peaty soils for the archetypal clip utilizing outer imagery, artificial quality and in-depth information investigation to make the astir implicit representation to date, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

The unfastened root map, launched connected the government’s website connected Monday, models the extent, extent and information of England’s peat, encompassing vegetation, gullies and human-made and earthy draining channels.

Healthy peatlands tin assistance to tackle the clime crisis, trim flood risk, amended h2o prime and enactment uncommon wildlife including the aureate plover, curlews and 25 taxon of dragonflies. However, degraded peat means c is emitted into the atmosphere, contributing to planetary heating.

The representation recovered that peaty ungraded covers astir 8.5% of England’s surface, with the astir extended peatland habitats successful the Pennines, North York Moors, parts of the Lake District and the uplands of the south-west.

However, the probe besides recovered that 80% of England’s peatlands were successful a adust and degraded condition.

The representation showed that portion three-quarters of the peatlands are covered by plants and onshore usage types associated with dryer conditions, lone 1% were covered by important peat-forming plants specified arsenic sphagnum moss.

Dr Sallie Bailey, Natural England’s main scientist, said: “Trying to representation thing that’s mostly underground, changes successful measurement depending connected whether it’s rained precocious and tries to swallow you up each clip you acceptable ft successful it comes with its challenges, which makes this representation bonzer successful its accomplishment and thing of a planetary first.

“Mapping peat to this level of item volition assistance america maximise the benefits of peat and massively advances our knowing of the relation our peatlands are playing successful a changing climate.”

Defra has said knowing however overmuch peat England has is the archetypal measurement to calculating however overmuch c it holds and however overmuch it is releasing.

Ministers besides anticipation that onshore managers volition usage the representation to amended recognize and reconstruct peatland, done measures specified arsenic blocking drainage channels to re-wet the land, and that it volition assistance decision-makers successful balancing biodiversity and c retention with nutrient security.

Tony Juniper, the seat of Natural England, said: “The benefits of steadfast peatlands are good documented. They are our biggest earthy c stores, indispensable to the h2o rhythm and refuge to immoderate of our rarest plants and wildlife, specified arsenic the carnivorous sundew plant, marsh violet, and charismatic birds similar aureate plover and curlew.

“The England peat representation volition let america to marque acold amended and much informed decisions erstwhile it comes to managing peatlands – targeting restoration efforts to the astir degraded peat and identifying the champion opportunities for quality recovery.”

Caroline Thorogood, the National Trust’s pb for peatlands, said: “The information successful the representation volition assistance america instrumentality a important measurement guardant to much accurately representation peatlands that we ain and attraction for successful England and recognize their condition.

“This volition let america to amended place priorities and enactment aboriginal enactment to retrieve our precious peatlands, helping quality thrive and providing benefits specified arsenic c retention and h2o regulation.”