A study has revealed that almost one-quarter of the world’s peatland areas are under heavy pressure from human encroachment, with farming the largest threat globally.
According to a report in Conservation Letters, only 17% of peatlands around the world falls within a protected area, which is putting the global climate at risk.
Countries with the most peatlands include Canada, Russia, Indonesia, USA, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, Peru, Finland, and Republic of the Congo. These 10 countries contain 80% of global peatlands.
Peatlands cover just 3% of the world’s surface, but store 600 billion tonnes of carbon. The report noted, that peatlands contain 10% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater.
Failure to protect peatlands puts their carbon stores at high risk and could also endanger global supplies of freshwater.
In Ireland, efforts have been made to conserve and revitalise peatland areas.
Peatland
The study reveals that 27% of global peatlands fall on indigenous peoples’ lands, where they have been safeguarded by these communities.
Globally, the study reports that at least 1.1 million square km² of peatlands lie within indigenous peoples’ lands.
According to the study, strengthening the land rights of indigenous peoples could lead to significant benefits for peatlands.
The study’s author, Dr. Paul Elsen said: “Our study reveals a really powerful fact — that indigenous peoples are already important caretakers of peatlands.
“This is significant because it means that we can improve peatland conservation by strengthening indigenous people’s land rights, which is a trend that we’re already seeing in a lot of countries. We have to keep up those efforts,” he added.
According to the study, 15% of peatlands have been drained for agriculture, while an additional 5-10% are degraded in some way, including through the removal of native vegetation.
The study said the rate is even higher in the tropics, where estimates suggest over 40% of peatlands have been degraded. In some cases, peatlands are drained and burned, emitting enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
