The ban on peat burn aims to protect the carbon stores of wildlife and England | Environment

The combustion of vegetation on deep peat will be prohibited under government plans to protect nature and reduce carbon emissions.

The vegetation on the peatings is often burned to create habitats for the Cedrone rooster, which likes to feed fresh shots of new plants that grow after the burning. This increases the number of birds available to be shot for sport.

But, in part due to combustion, 80% of England peatings Now they are degraded. These rare habitats store carbon when they are in good condition, “block” about 3.2 billion tons in the United Kingdom alone. But, when they dry from burning or drainage, they emit rather than keep carbon. The combustion of peat can also kill wildlife, such as additives, toads and nesting birds.

The previous conservative government has announced rules to prohibit the fire of some distinction areas. But the experts claimed that the rules were not suitable for the purpose and left precious habitats and sunk carbon vulnerable to destruction.

The legislation prohibited the combustion of vegetation on deep peat areas (more than 40 cm deep) in a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) which is also a special area of ​​conservation or a special protection area unless a license has been granted or the land is steep or rocky. This has left many areas of unprotected deep peat. Campaign groups He complained At the time when the government “attacked the shootings” and the campaign alliance Lobby against in the ban.

The work plans tighten the legislation, counting 30 cm of peat as deep peat instead of 40 cm, and they would have protected all the deep peat rather than only the one in Sssis. These changes would increase the area currently protected from 222,000 to over 368,000 hectares of the total of 677,250 hectares of deep peat. The approach is supported by the tests provided by natural England. Any prescribed combustion should be carried out under rigorous license, emitted where there is a clear necessity; For example, to reduce the risk of fires.

Nature Minister Mary Creagh said: “Our peatings are the Amazon rainforest of this country – home to our most precious wildlife, preserving carbon and reducing the risk of floods.

“The United Kingdom has 13% of the covered swamp of the world. A rare global habitat, it is a precious part of our national heritage, and this is why we are announcing a consultation on these measures, to ensure that deep peat is better protected.

“These changes will benefit from the communities by improving the quality of the air and water and protect the houses and companies from the damage to be flood, which support stability and economic safety in the context of our plan for change.”

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have said that there will be a consultation before the changes to the law and opinions of the landowners will take place will be taken into consideration.

Defra has also announced today that 1,000 flood patterns will be built or repaired this year to protect thousands of houses and companies from the dangers of floods. The number of schemes for 2026/27 will be decided in the revision of the June expenditure. The top patterns that receive funding include projects in the derbyshire, on the island of North Portsea, Preston and South Ribble, Poole Bridge, Benacre and Kessingland.