Wildlife Trust Wales
Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) has backed ambitious plans by Wildlife Trusts Wales (WTW) to seek the restoration of all elsh peatlands by 2030.
Across the globe, peatlands occupy only 3% of the world’s land area but store over 30% of global carbon, making them essential in the fight against climate change.
Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation awarded £94,000 to Wildlife Trusts Wales, playing a pivotal role in this ambitious move by investing now to realise this vision.
With the effects of climate change ever more apparent, we are delighted that our partnership with WTW is working to restore nature and mitigate the effects of climate change through restoring peatlands in Wales.
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed plants. The plants don’t decay because the soil is waterlogged, stopping oxygen getting in to decompose the leaves and stems. As long as peat stays wet, the layers of decaying plants increase. However, this process is lengthy, with one metre of peat taking up to 100 years to form! As plants decompose, they release carbon dioxide (CO2). But since peat stops decomposition from taking place, it locks all that carbon away. Peat is so successful at locking in carbon that despite only occupying 3% of the worlds land, they store over 30% of global carbon!
By restoring these essential habitats, we not only lock away carbon but also provide places for rare and wonderful wildlife to live. Not to mention its incredible ability to hold five times its own weight in water! Peat acts as a giant sponge, holding back floodwaters and as a result keeping our homes safe and dry. As water passes through these giant sponges, it is cleaned, resulting in fresh, clean water for wildlife and humans to enjoy. It’s a win-win for people and for wildlife.
Wales is globally significant for peat, with 90,000 hectares of peat soil, but sadly the majority are in poor condition. This is due to the need to drain and fertilise the land to grow grass to feed sheep. Currently, Welsh peat releases around 550,000 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every year. If this were to continue, it would be the equivalent to 15 years’ worth of Wales’s total CO2 emissions!
WTW want to reverse this trend by developing projects to restore Welsh peatlands by 2030. They are working with partners like ourselves to raise awareness and to influence the future management of peatlands.
We want to see a future where peatlands can lock up carbon, filter our water, provide safe spaces for endangered wildlife to live, and alleviate flooding of Welsh homes by creating natural water storage.
Welsh peatlands are such an invaluable part of our environment, providing essential habitats for amazing wildlife across the country and locking away massive amounts of carbon. By funding the restoration of this crucial part of our ecosystem, we are supporting the Wildlife Trust’s vision to lock up more carbon, restore nature, filter water and reduce flood risks for local communities. I am delighted that by returning the peatlands to their former glory, it will help will benefit people and the environment immediately and in the future.