What is peat?
Peat, the main soil in many bogs and fens, consists of semi-decomposed dead plants that once grew on the surface. Despite their importance as unique habitats and carbon stores, peatlands around the world are dug up, their peat used for fuel and in horticulture.
How quickly does peat regenerate?
Because peat consists of plant material, it has been argued that it is a renewable resource that will regenerate over time. Unfortunately, in practical terms that is not the case. Even in a healthy, undamaged peatland, just 1mm of peat takes a year to form.
When peat is removed by industrial processes, the living layer of plants on the surface is lost, preventing the build-up of new peat. Scientists working on industrial peat-extraction sites are now looking at ways of kick-starting the revegetation of bare peat areas.
Results are promising: the regrowth of crucial peat-forming plants could now take years rather than decades. Even so, the slow build-up of peat itself means that it can’t be classed as renewable.
Main image: Peat bogs above Ullswater in the Lake District. © Getty Images
