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Clifton Bain
Director, IUCN UK Peatland Programme
Commission of Inquiry on UK Peatlands Patrons from Science, Policy & Practice:
Lord Lindsay, Sir Graham Wynne, Prof Andrew Watkinson
Core Panel & Advisory Committee
“Investing in Peatlands” Conferences 2010, Durham: The Climate Challenge
2011, Stirling: Funding for Peatlands
2012, Bangor: Delivering Restoration
Website: www. iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org Partner Initiatives
Communicate Key Findings
IUCN UK Peatland Programme
• At a global scale peatlands store about the same amount of
carbon that is present in the atmosphere.
• ~500 Pg in peatlands
• Loss of 1.6% of peatland C = total annual human C emissions
• Loss of 0.6% of peatland C = total annual increase in atmospheric CO2-C
• In the UK, peatlands cover approximately 15% of the land area.
Peatland Ecosystem Services
• Biodiversity, sport and leisure
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Water quality and supply
Sphagnum building blocks
RSPB Forsinard Reserve Blocking Hill Drains
% bare peat
% Sphagnum
Data J.Holden Defra SP0572
Water
Around 70% of the water sources used for public water supply, derive
from the uplands of Britain.
Restoring peatlands could lead to improved raw water quality and
result in a range of benefits.
Carbon and Cost:
Reduced power and chemical costs for treatment processes resulting
from extending the cleaning / replacement cycles. Could also result
in reduction in capital maintenance spend.
Water Quality:
Improvement to (or reduce the risk of further deterioration of) the raw
water quality envelope especially preventing peak conditions for
colour, turbidity and TOC - it is also likely to improve stability of
disinfection.
Biodiversity
• unique & specialised • part or full life cycle • sensitive to pollution, management & climate change
Couwenberg et al (in revision) Hydrobiologia -
Moors for the Future
Black Hill 2005
Moors for the Future
landscape scale restoration
Black Hill 2008
Forest planting