By Abdullahi Lukman
The UK government plans to ban the burning of vegetation on deep peat in an effort to protect nature and reduce carbon emissions.
Peatlands, which are often burned to create habitat for grouse, are vital carbon stores, but 80 percent of England’s peatlands are now degraded, largely due to burning. When in good condition, peatlands store carbon, locking in an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes in the UK alone.
However, when dried out by burning or draining, they release carbon, contributing to climate change. Furthermore, the burning of peatlands can harm wildlife, including adders, toads, and ground-nesting birds.
The previous Conservative government introduced some regulations to limit peatland burning but were criticized for leaving many peatland areas unprotected.
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These earlier rules banned burning on deep peat (more than 40 cm) in special protected areas unless a license was granted, but did not address other vulnerable areas.
The new proposals, backed by Labour, would reduce the threshold for “deep peat” from 40 cm to 30 cm and extend protections to all deep peat areas, not just those in special scientific interest sites.
This would increase the protected area from 222,000 hectares to more than 368,000 hectares across England’s 677,250 hectares of deep peat.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh highlighted the importance of peatlands, likening them to the Amazon rainforest for their biodiversity and carbon storage.
The consultation will consider the views of landowners before the changes take effect, with a focus on balancing nature conservation and land management needs.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) also announced the construction or repair of 1,000 flood protection schemes this year to safeguard homes and businesses from flooding, with more funding decisions to be made in June’s spending review.
