Campaigners broadly welcome new ban on burning on blanket bog sites, but calls grow for government to extend the scope of planned legislation to include more types of peat and crackdown on peat-based composts
The government has announced a partial ban on peat burning in protected areas across England, representing a major win for environmental campaigners that have long campaigned for measures that end the routine and deliberate damage inflicted each year on some of the nation's largest natural carbon sinks.
The new regulations will ban the burning of vegetatian in areas of deep peat on blanket bog in 'sites of special scientific interest' that are also 'special areas of conservation' or a 'special protection area', the government announced this morning.
Under the new rules, those who want to continue to burn peat must seek a license from the Environment Secretary. Licenses will only be granted for the burning of heather for the purposes of wildlife prevention, for conservation purposes, or for areas where land is inaccessible to cutting and mowing machinery, the government said.
The ban will not apply to steep land or places where scree makes up half the land areas, the government added.
"Our peatlands have great potential as a natural store of carbon, as well as protecting habitats, providing a haven for rare wildlife and being a natural provider of water regulation," said Environment Secretary George Eustice. "We want to work with land owners to restore the natural hydrology of many of these sites through our new agricultural policy to support our ambitions for the environment."
Deliberate burning of peatlands and blanket bog has long been used as a tool in moorland management and is widely favoured by grouse moor and other landowners. But the practice is highly controversial due to the damage it causes to some of the UK's most biodiverse habitats, which double as huge natural stores of carbon that could help the UK meet its climate goals.
Furthermore, the routine scorching of heather and other vegetation on peatland releases significant carbon emissions into the atmosphere, with data from Natural England estimating up to 260,000 tonnes of CO2 are emitted each year through the practice.
Campaigners broadly welcomed the government's decision to bring forward a partial ban on peat burning as a major win for nature and the climate, but they also urged the government to extend the ban to cover the burning of all types of peat, including shallower peat and peat not found in legally-protected areas.
Dr Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, hailed the move as a "very positive step" but called on the government to now extend the ban and ensure the awarding of licenses for peat burning is carefully managed.
"With 13 per cent of the world's blanket bog here in the UK, every acre is internationally significant," he said. "It will be essential that the exceptions to the ban are not exploited to allow the burning debate to smoulder on - this practice that is so damaging to nature, climate and communities must stop," he said. "We hope that this measure will be followed swiftly by restrictions on burning in peatlands outside the protected area network and by a ban on peat in horticultural compost."
Similarly, Daniel Carey-Dawes, head of rural economy and communities at countryside charity CPRE, commended the move but called on the government to make its ban less discriminate.
"Today's announcement is a step in the right direction as Ministers begin to take action to prevent the burning of heather above peatlands and the totally unnecessary carbon emissions they release," he said. "We look forward to seeing the detail of how much blanket bog is protected overall. To signal the government is serious on following through on its climate and nature ambitions, a ban on the burning of all peatlands alongside a date for the end of the sale of peat compost should come through with no delay."
However, Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, warned the current proposals did not go nearly far enough in protecting peat habitats. "Our peatlands are one of our most valuable wildlife habitats and they're a critically important carbon store, often referred to as the UK's rainforests," he said. "So, it's a complete no-brainer that we should stop burning them - but why does the ban only apply to some of our designated peatlands? It should apply to them all.
"If, in some places, the reason they are being burnt is to prevent wild fires spreading over dry ground, the best way to stop fire happening is to block ditches and help the peat become wet again. It is deeply frustrating that it has taken so long for the government to commit to this - a whole 14 months after it was first promised to the House of Commons. It will be extremely embarrassing if we are still burning any of our peatlands when the climate conference meets at the end of the year. The government's own advisors say we need to restore all upland peatlands to meet climate targets. So while it's a tiny step forward, much greater urgency is needed across a huge range of comparably burning issues to protect our wildlife and tackle climate change."
The government confirmed that it will be setting out further measures to protect England's peatlands this year as part of a package of measures to enhance England's landscapes and encourage nature-based solutions to the climate crisis. It also highlighted that its £640m Nature for Climate Fund includes funding to kick-start a programme of peatland restoration over the next five years.
Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, confirmed the public body would now work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and land managers on the forthcoming peat restoration grant scheme, in addition to rolling out the new partial ban.
"This is a hugely welcome announcement which will see better protections for our globally important peatlands," he said. "Blanket bog is an amazing habitat that provides essential environmental benefits, including carbon storage, a home for wonderful wildlife, clean drinking water and flood mitigation. This is why it is vital we ensure these systems are healthy with peat-forming species, such as Sphagnum mosses, thriving in water-logged conditions."