Climate News: Government announces plans to extend peatland burning ban

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have announced plans to ban the burning of deep peat on a further 146,000 hectares of land in a press release on March 31.

Peatland – often described as England’s ‘lungs’ – is a rare global habitat of which the UK is home to 13%, and is made up of slowly decomposing plant matter in waterlogged, carbon-sequestering environments. Peatland is central to wildlife biodiversity, flood maintenance, carbon sequestration, and air purification.

The land is typically burnt to make space for cattle and livestock grazing, and other moorland management. Burning peatland dries out the environment, emitting carbon and killing species that rely on the habitat. Burnt peatland is also more hospitable for vegetation such as heather that is more susceptible to widespread wildfires. It can also potentially cause soil erosion and eutrophication of waterways.

The ban is intended to improve and maintain the environmental, social, and economic benefits of peatland to local biodiversity and urban areas

80% of England’s peatlands are currently degraded. 222,000 hectares are currently protected, with these plans set to increase that number to 677,250 hectares. Nature Minister and Coventry East MP Mary Creagh described the precious habitat as “[the UK’s] Amazon Rainforest…a precious part of our national heritage”. Dr Rob Stoneman of The Wildlife Trusts said: “we’re really pleased that the government is taking the issue [of burning peat] seriously.”

The ban is intended to improve and maintain the environmental, social, and economic benefits of peatland to local biodiversity and urban areas. It will seek to protect valuable habitats for a variety of wildlife, keep local communities safer from flooding, and maintain precious carbon stores that improve air quality. The aim of ‘cleaning up the air’ is central to the announcement, seen as “an important step in tackling the underlying drivers of ill-health”.

The changes proposed will enforce stricter licensing for people wishing to burn this land, though land managers and owners will still be able to apply for a licence to burn in certain circumstances.

The plans also include a revision of the definition of ‘deep’ peat to 30cm deep from the current 40cm.

The ban is part of the Department’s ‘Plan for Change’ which includes a commitment to reach net zero by 2050. The government’s Nature for Climate Fund also pledges up to £400 million towards peatland restoration and tree planting.