‘Over-reliance on peat needs to end’

IT was good to read about SMDC’S proposal to ban barbeques and sky lanterns at key local beauty spots in the December 9 edition of the Post & Times, thus giving protection to our local peat landscapes.

The 2018 fires on the Roaches and above the Mermaid were not only devasting to wildlife but also destroyed over 50 years’ worth of peat.

Peat makes up a large part of the Moorlands landscape. It develops slowly over thousands of years, and supports plants such as the colourful sphagnum mosses and the curious butterwort and bog myrtle. When it comes to climate change, our local peat bogs have an international role as they act like a sponge, absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

The UK peatlands store around 3.2billion tonnes of carbon; peat bogs are the second largest store of carbon on the planet.

The irony is that while so many of us deplore the fires of 2018 and the resulting loss of our local, very precious wildlife habitat, we are still using peat in our gardens.

Post & Times readers may have heard that leading wildlife and gardening charities have recently petitioned the Government to speed up its ban on the use of peat in garden composts.

Monty Don, supporting the petition, describes the use of peat in gardens as ‘environmental vandalism’.

While we can congratulate SMDC for the action it is taking and urge the Government to speed up its actions we as individuals should also take responsibility.

If all of us stopped buying peatbased compost and asked our local garden centres for peat free compost our landscapes and wildlife and climate would all benefit.

Elen Rees Leek