What is peat and where is it found?
What is peat and where is it found?
Peat is partially decayed plant material that accumulates under water-logged conditions over long time periods. Natural areas covered by peat are called peatlands. Terms commonly used for specific peatland types are peat swamp forests, fens, bogs or mires. Peat is found around the world – in permafrost regions towards the poles and at high altitudes, in coastal areas, beneath tropical rainforest and in boreal forests.
Peatlands store large amounts of carbon. Although they cover less than three per cent of global land surface, estimates suggest that peatlands contain twice as much as in the world’s forest biomass combined.
The Global Peatlands Assessment
Developed by the UNEP-led Global Peatlands Initiative and supported by a group of 226 peatland experts from all regions of the globe, the GPA is the most comprehensive assessment of peatlands to date