A peat bog is a wetland where the ground is permanently waterlogged. The water makes the conditions anaerobic (little oxygen), acidic and low in nutrients, so decomposers work very slowly. Dead plant material, especially sphagnum moss, does not fully decompose and builds up as peat, at only about 1 mm per year.Peat bogs are important because:• they are a huge carbon store; worldwide, peatlands hold more carbon than all the world's forests
• they support specialised species such as sundews (insectivorous plants), cotton grass, dragonflies and wading birds
• they store water, reducing flooding and filtering drinking water
• the peat preserves pollen and remains that record past climates.Threats: peat bogs have been drained for agriculture and forestry, and peat has been cut for fuel and extracted for garden compost. Overgrazing and burning also damage them. When peat dries out, oxygen enters, aerobic decomposition speeds up and the stored carbon is released as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change. Because peat forms so slowly, it is effectively a non-renewable resource.Management:• rewetting by blocking drainage ditches to raise the water table
• replanting sphagnum moss on bare peat
• stopping peat extraction and encouraging peat-free compost
• removing conifer plantations and controlling grazing and burning
• legal protection, for example as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
• they support specialised species such as sundews (insectivorous plants), cotton grass, dragonflies and wading birds
• they store water, reducing flooding and filtering drinking water
• the peat preserves pollen and remains that record past climates.Threats: peat bogs have been drained for agriculture and forestry, and peat has been cut for fuel and extracted for garden compost. Overgrazing and burning also damage them. When peat dries out, oxygen enters, aerobic decomposition speeds up and the stored carbon is released as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change. Because peat forms so slowly, it is effectively a non-renewable resource.Management:• rewetting by blocking drainage ditches to raise the water table
• replanting sphagnum moss on bare peat
• stopping peat extraction and encouraging peat-free compost
• removing conifer plantations and controlling grazing and burning
• legal protection, for example as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.