Event information

7th March 2024
Webinar

Webinar: The peatland dilemma – should we continue to cultivate and if so, how?

Image of a watercourse running through peatland

Peatlands are incredible – globally they cover 3% of land area but hold more than twice the carbon in all the world’s forests. But managing them is a conundrum and a balancing act between short and long term food security, biodiversity, climate, and livelihoods: Their carbon-rich soils make them food-producing power-houses (accounting for 30-40% of UK-grown potatoes and vegetables) but also significant carbon emitters when drained and cultivated (1% of UK carbon emissions). Those who farm peatlands are often acutely aware of this issue, but don’t know what to do: Rewetting peatlands can lock this carbon back up and improve biodiversity, but rewet them too much and they start to emit methane, and of course displace food production elsewhere and potentially impact livelihoods too.

Jez Fredenburgh

Author: Jez Fredenburgh

Knowledge Exchange Fellow