New report highlights climate benefits of peatland restoration

June 29, 2010

Clifton Bain, Director of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme, today welcomed the publication of a new report on the climate change benefits of peatland restoration.

"Peatbogs and carbon - a critical synthesis" by Richard Lindsay, reviews the impacts of current and historical use of peatlands, and the effects of restoration on greenhouse gas emissions. The report draws the conclusion that while healthy peatbogs release a certain amount of potent methane gas, the overall impact on the climate is significantly less than that of the carbon dioxide which leaks from damaged peat.

The report was commissioned by the RSPB, and received financial support from the IUCN UK Peatland Programme, amongst others.

Download the full report "Peatbogs and carbon - a critical synthesis" here, or for a high resolution version visit www.uel.ac.uk/erg/PeatandCarbonReport.htm

View the RSPB press release about the report here.

Downloads

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