Peatlands are wetlands with a shallow covering of standing water that prevents the plants that inhabit the peatland from fully decomposing. Over time, the resulting accumulation of plant matter forms a dense, marshy substance known as peat, storing the carbon absorbed by the plants as they biodegrade, creating natural climate change mitigation (1).

Peatlands are particularly prevalent in Canada, as one-third of global peatlands are in Canada, hosting 1.1million square kilometers, or 12% of Canada’s land area, and storing 150 billion tonnes of carbon. These valuable ecosystems are constantly at risk from human activity. In inhabited areas of Canada, up to 70% of peatlands and wetlands have been destroyed or degraded, with many drained for agriculture, development, mining, logging, and roads (2). 

Major cities such as Calgary, Alberta have been draining valuable peatlands for decades in order to make room for vast housing developments, but in 2013 the worst flood in Canadian history occurred in Calgary after a snow and rainstorm in the nearby Rocky Mountains, with experts estimating that the severity of the flood would have lessened drastically had local peatlands been conserved and protected (3).

With the value of peatlands as carbon sinks now gaining recognition, initiatives are gaining ground to conserve these crucial ecosystems, such as the initiatives of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), an international organization with a specific focus on conserving peatlands. The WCS achieves the protection of crucial ecosystems by assisting governments and local communities in planning protected area networks, developing management plans for these areas, securing United Nations World Heritage status for protected areas, as this ensures their protection for years to come (4).

Sources:

1. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/peatlands-and-climate-change

2. Nature Canada

https://naturecanada.ca/defend-nature/how-you-help-us-take-action/nature-based-climate-solutions/toolkit/wetlands-peatlands/

3. The Narwhal

https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-peatland-canada-natural-disasters/

4. Wildlife Conservation Society

https://www.wcs.org/our-work/solutions/protected-areas

Photo Credit: Spruce Bog Trail, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Photo by F.N. Brown.