Abstract
This research project will provide a clearer understanding of the potential UK biodiversity benefits that might arise from the proposed reductions in lowland peat extraction arising from reductions in the use of peat for horticulture. The Government's Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) is implemented via a number of Habitat Action Plans (HAPs) and Species Action Plans (SAPs). The lowland raised bog HAP has a target to replace 90% of the horticultural requirement for peat with alternative materials by 2010. It follows an earlier target of 40% by 2005, that was successfully reached. It is important for our biodiversity because slightly less than half of the peat used in the UK is taken from our own lowland raised bogs. While the target might also have potential benefits for a range of ecosystem services such as carbon capture and other Government requirements such as duties under the EU's Landfill Directive, it is important to be clear about the consequences reaching this target will have for lowland raised bog biodiversity. The project will also consider what other consequences might arise in countries such as the Republic of Ireland from which peat is already being sourced for UK horticultural use. The peat reduction target aims to benefit bog biodiversity by reducing or even eliminating peat extraction in the UK. Draining and digging out peat changes the bog structure and hydrology and kills off the existing plants and animals. The conditions needed for these to re-establish on cessation are precise and it is important to understand the relationship between the way the peat is taken out and the subsequent suitability of the post-extractive surface for restoration. It is also important to understand that each peat bog is part of a national series, those in the north and west being very different in structure and biota from those in the east. Variation also occurs on world and continental scales, so it is important to consider the effect 'displaced' peat extraction may have on the world's biodiversity. The project looks in detail at where peat is sourced in the UK and abroad, describing the effect that peat extraction has had and will have in the future on bog-based biodiversity. It will be quantified by reference to site areas, peat volumes and the timescales of planning consents for extraction, as far as they are known. The part played by working and after-use plans will be explored, alongside the long-term effects of these activities on future bog hydrology. The scope for amelioration of the potential damages inflicted by peat extraction, such as by enhanced working and afteruse plans and more legal controls through site designations will be compared and appraised by reference to a number of alternative scenarios. Peat extraction has been curtailed on a number of key sites in the UK at considerable expense to the UK taxpayer. The project will document the gains for biodiversity arising from these examples. It will also look at initiatives around the country adopting a landscape-scale approach to wetland conservation such as the Manchester Mosslands. This will provide a framework within which to evaluate the contribution of raised bog conservation in the past and the effect further peat extraction is likely to have. It explores relevant economic arguments around home-sourced versus imported peat, and how any effects on employment can be mitigated through the development of peat alternatives.
United Kingdom