Britain’s Bog Rescue
Using specially grown moss beads to restore peat moorlands.
It is estimated that the world’s peat bogs store up to 455 gigatonnes of carbon. These peat moorlands are formed from the remains of sphagnum moss, which provide the bogs with a protective covering.
But this moss is sensitive to air pollution and since the industrial revolution, much of the moss has died. This means that less new peat is formed and the moorlands lose a vital layer of protection, resulting in the erosion of existing peat and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
In England’s Peak District the environmental group Moors for the Future is spreading millions of specially made sphagnum moss beads to counter this erosion and restore the landscape.
More than 200 million beads have already been scattered and the aim is to restore 2,000 acres of moorland by 2015.
Amanda Burrell visits the peat moorlands to meet the people restoring this vital habitat.
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