The image below, taken in June 2020, shows ploughing of peatland soils in Cumbria in preparation for tree planting. The highly organic soil, which is an important carbon store, is exposed and the distinctive peatland habitat is significantly modified.
Peatlands have a remarkable capacity to sequester carbon. They cover only 3% of the Earth’s surface, but store more carbon than all of the world’s forests. Peatlands develop in oxygen-poor, waterlogged environments where dead plant matter is prevented from decomposing so that carbon is locked up in the soil.
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