What are Peatlands?

Peatlands are a type of wetland where the water-logged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing, instead slowly accumulating as a special type of soil known as 'peat'. The carbon in the plant material is locked in the soil instead of being broken down and released as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is why peatlands store such huge amounts of carbon - more than any other terrestrial habitat on the planet - and play an important role in tackling climate change. With one of the highest annual rainfall figures in the UK, the Carneddau is a famously wet place, and its extensive areas of peatlands reflects this.
Fighting climate change
Storing twice as much carbon as forests, peatlands are important in our fight against climate change.
A natural flood defence
Acting as a sponge, peatlands have an ability to store rainwater and slow the water flow to lower lands.
Preserving ancient treasures
Peatlands provide a unique archive of our past, from ancient pollen to Bronze Aged treasures. Did you know every metre of peat contains 1,000 years of history?

Restoring peatlands involves stabilising and re-vegetating areas of eroded peat. Here is a digger on Llwytmor, in the Western Carneddau, repairing a large, badly eroded area by re-profiling the steep-sided banks of exposed peat (or ‘peat haggs’) to a shallower angle, then covering them back over with turf. This helps the habitat to return to a stable state and prevents the peat from drying out and releasing carbon.

 

What are we doing?

With support from the Welsh Peatlands Sustainable Management Scheme and the National Peatland Action Programme, peatland restoration works have been focused on Gledrffordd and Llwytmor, two of the largest areas of peatland in the Carneddau.

Restoration works have included re-profiling areas of exposed peat that are susceptible to drying out and releasing carbon into the atmosphere.

Eroded peat can also be restored by re-colonising the bare ground with suitable seeds, young Sphagnum moss plants, or mulch, with the help of volunteers.

waterlogged peatland on Gledrffordd
Why is this important?

Peatlands play a vital role in addressing climate change due to their huge potential to store carbon when the habitat is in a healthy condition.

Peatlands are an important home for wildlife, including rare and threatened birds such as curlews, merlins and hen harriers.

Peatlands also act like a sponge, absorbing and retaining huge volumes of water, slowing the flow, and helping to prevent the risk of flooding downstream. This sponge effect also means they can continue to feed river systems in drought conditions, which in turn increases the landscape’s resilience to changes in the climate and weather patterns.

Studying peat is a window into the past where biological matter such as pollen has been preserved, thereby providing a record of the historical environment thousands of years ago. This enhances our understanding of how the landscape has evolved and changed through history.

A Guide to Peatlands

Learn more about what peatlands are, how they are formed, and why they’re important to protect.

Natural Resources Wales Peatland Guide
How can you get involved?

Check out our Training page for training opportunities.

Check out the UK Peatland Strategy by the IUCN UK Peatland Programme to learn more.

Find out more about what’s happening across Wales and opportunities to get involved through the National Action Peatland Programme.

Check out our Training page for training opportunities.

Find out more about what’s happening across Wales and opportunities to get involved through the National Action Peatland Programme.

Check out the UK Peatland Strategy by the IUCN UK Peatland Programme to learn more.