Slide 1
A wetland keeps its dead plants
Peat forms when plant remains accumulate faster than they fully decompose. Waterlogged conditions slow the breakdown of organic matter.
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Low oxygen is an important part of that slowdown. Peat is therefore a record of both plant production and the wet conditions that prevented all the remains being rapidly recycled.
Slide 2
Moss helps make a bog
Sphagnum mosses are important builders of many bogs. Their growth and water-holding structure contribute to the wet habitat around them.
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Peatlands are broader than Sphagnum bogs; some form beneath other vegetation. The familiar mossy landscape is one example within a geographically diverse group of carbon-rich wetlands.
Slide 3
Old growth holds carbon
The carbon in partly decomposed plants remains in peat. Layers can accumulate over long periods while the wetland continues producing new vegetation.
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A large stored stock is different from the amount captured in one year. Distinguishing those quantities explains why protecting an old peat deposit matters even if annual growth appears modest.
Slide 4
Drainage changes the balance
Draining peat exposes more material to oxygen and can accelerate decomposition. Carbon accumulated over a long time can then return to the atmosphere.
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Dry peat can also become more vulnerable to fire. Damage affects the stored material as well as current vegetation, so replanting the surface alone does not restore the original conditions.
Slide 5
Recovery begins with water
Restoring a damaged peatland often involves re-establishing suitable wet conditions. Vegetation and water movement need to support each other again.
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Rewetting can reduce continuing losses without instantly replacing all the peat already gone. Recovery should be judged over time, including habitat function and the protection of remaining carbon stores.
Sources
- Peatlands and climate change
IUCN
- Bog Day: Britain's wettest wilderness
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew