After working as a pasture agronomist in the Falklands 1976-78, and going back on a more or less annual basis since, I have seen a lot of changes in the place! The most recent and alarming of these has been the gradual drying out of the Islands, particularly over the last 5 years or so. As you might remember from my talk and poster at the 2025 IUCN UK Peatland Programme conference, this is pretty much what was predicted for the Islands about 12 years ago. But when you actually see it happening, and at what looks like a far greater rate than predicted, it starts to hit home.
The Falklands are a hugely important peatland resource from a UK and global perspective: almost 40% of the land surface area has peat deeper than 40 cm, of which the majority (>60%) is in the depth range of 40 to 100 cm. The vast majority of topsoils in the Islands have an OM content > 20% and approximately 80% of the land surface area has a peat topsoil (i.e. OM >50%). This means that the Falkland Islands have the largest peat reserve of any of the UK Overseas Territories and make a significant contribution to the UK inventory. However, this is more than just an interesting statistic - these peatlands are farmed by approximately 75, mostly family owned and run, sheep farms. Recently, these farmers and landowners have been feeling the brunt of climate change and depressed wool prices on their income. There has been a one third decline in total national sheep numbers over the past 24 years and a 13% decline in the last 10 years. Given this, there are deeply personal and socio-economic angles to the issue.
Climate change predictions are for warmer, windier weather, higher levels of evapotranspiration and a subsequent increase in the soil moisture deficit period. These conditions are already being experienced and are having an impact on livestock production, farm viability, biodiversity, wildfire danger and invasive species risk. The situation has reached a critical level in recent years and the Falkland Islands Government is determined to implement a Land Recovery Programme, targeted particularly at peatlands. The Falklands are somewhat unique in that their peatlands have developed slowly in a cool dry climate, are shallow and particularly vulnerable to drying out. Sheep flocks are extensively managed, widely dispersed and there has been a history of overgrazing, burning and drainage in many areas. Recovering land from these impacts provides real challenges.
A Land Recovery Programme workshop (part funded by the Falkland Islands Government’s Environmental Studies Budget) was part of a consultation process the Department of Agriculture was running to determine the current state of our knowledge about the peatlands. The focus was particularly on carbon, water and biodiversity and the measures necessary to sustain an economically viable level of livestock production. In many cases this will involve stock reduction and/or changing grazing patterns and infrastructure. In some severe examples of erosion, revegetation will be necessary. Additionally, the Islands will have to consider the re-routing of water courses, ditch-blocking, contour bunding or opening other sources of water to rewet peatlands or supply livestock. Dealing with these issues is not new and half of the workshop focused on farmer experience – both of the impact of the crisis on their farms and on how they have tried and tested measures themselves. The emerging picture is one of the positivity behind a programme which should involve a partnership approach, an element of co-design and bespoke solutions for individual farms, and, all-importantly, sourcing appropriate funding levels and routes. The workshop will help the Department develop the programme going forward, it has the backing of the Rural Business Association in the Islands. In the end though, the key will be how much funding can be leveraged for programme delivery.
A full copy of the workshop report is available on the IUCN UK Peatland Programme website: Falkland Islands Landscape Recovery Programme Workshop Report (v2) June 2025 (PDF)
