The Scientist - The Climate Project
This week's Friday Night Video explores the work carried out by scientist Tom Spencer of the Moors For The Future Partnership, as he monitors bare peat sites on Kinder.
Peat moorlands cover 15% of the UK, and peat bogs are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store in the world. During the industrial revolution acid rain reduced vast areas of upland to deserts of bare peat. With no plant roots to hold it in place, peat is washed off the hills, contributing to flooding in the valleys and releasing centuries of carbon locked into the ground. As Tom describes it, "This is the brutal effect of human civilisation on the landscape."
All is not lost though. Through their programme of moorland restoration, MFTF are replacing sphagnum moss, the 'bog building' plant that forms the bedrock of a healthy blanket bog. And evidence shows that this intervention is effective. Sphagnum will not grow back naturally but when planted it thrives, taking as much carbon out of the atmosphere as a tropical rainforest, actively fighting climate change. The 'miracle plant' stores water, keeping the peat wet, reducing wildfire and flood severity. It's also a natural filter, improving the quality of drinking water in our reservoirs. To date Moors For The Future have restored more than 8,000 acres of moor.