Ecosystem services of upland carbon landscapes in England

Mick Rebane Evidence Team - Senior Specialist Uplands

Upland Ecosystem Services Atlas

The English uplands

The value of the upland environment for people reaches out far beyond its boundaries. Aim is to increase understanding (and value) of its importance by those who use, manage and benefit from it.The maps identify what is special in terms of both the benefits and services they provide for people, and the wildlife and natural features which underpin them. These services and benefits from the environment are collectively known as “ecosystem services”. Each chapter covers a different vital ecosystem service, illustrating service supply, service demand, quality of services, challenges and solutions.

CARBON STORAGE AND SEQUESTRATION

CLIMATE REGULATION THROUGH

Peat Soils

Where are our high-carbon peat soils?Upland soils are the largest carbon store in England. 300 million tonnes are stored in English peatlands, mostly in the uplands.

Peat bogs sequester (soak up) atmospheric carbon dioxide in perpetuity, when in good condition. Billions of tonnes have been removed from the atmosphere globally since the last ice-age.

Carbon is also stored in vegetation as well – particularly woodlands and trees.

Peat soils in the northern and south-west uplands

Drainage and carbon loss from blanket peat

Are peat bogs losing carbon?Up to 4 million tonnes of CO2 are being emitted per year from English peatlands – similar to CO2 emissions from domestic aviation.

How do drainage and burning affect carbon stores ?Upland peat has been extensively artificially drained Across the uplands there are an estimated 30,000 km of artificial peat drains (or grips”). These soils lose carbon through erosion and oxidation (drying out). Burning (by wildfire or burns prescribed as part of grouse moor management) can destroy peat and peat forming mosses such as Sphagnum.

SSSI Condition

What state are peat bogs in?Many peat bogs are designated as SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) for their nationally important vegetation and wildlife. The condition of SSSI features can be a useful proxy for the ‘carbon status’ of the soil. Bogs in ‘favourable’ condition (dark green on map) are waterlogged and support peat-forming plants that sequester carbon.Those in ‘unfavourable recovering’ condition (light green – i.e. the majority of upland peat bogs) should stop losing carbon and start to sequester it, as peat-forming conditions return over time. This may take many years.

New peat status mapping

WATER SUPPLY AND QUALITY

Annual rainfall

How important are our uplands forwater supply?70% of UK drinking water is collected from upland catchments.

With climate change the uplands may become even more important as thelowlands become hotter and drier.

Projected changes in rainfall in England

Deteriorating raw water colour trend in United Utilities supply

Increasing water colour (brown water from peat soils) is a significant drinking water quality issue in the uplands. Colour in water is removed because it is aesthetically undesirable and may react in the treatment process to form unwanted substances.Removing colour is expensive and uses significant amounts of energy and chemicals producing a sludge by-product which has to be disposed of.Grip blocking and restoring degraded peatland to favourable condition may help stabilise water colour in the long term.

Land-use changes in the Brennand Catchment

The land use changes put in place through United Utilities’ Sustainable Catchment Management Programme(http://www.unitedutilities.com/scamp.htm) aim to improve biodiversity, water quality, and minimise peak water flows (following heavy rainfall).

This map shows the land use changes put in place in the Brennand catchment which feeds into the Hodder and Ribble rivers, upstream of Preston.

It is hoped such changes will help reduce flood risk in villages and towns further downstream. Research is underway by the EnvironmentAgency to assess the impacts of thesechanges on river flows.

Land management challenges - grips

Mallerstang Moss

Land management challenges - burning

Broomhead Moss 1948

Broomhead Moss 1976

Broomhead Moss 2000

Heather on deep peat – has become a weed

• Naturally part of blanket bog communities but not dominant, often suppressed &/or found on drier areas.• Responds well to drying out of peat.• Adapted to & responds well to managed burning and can become dominant especially on peat where wetland spp that fire intolerant are eventually replaced.• Re-establishes vegetatively & by seed following fire.• Dominance contributes to further drying out of bog through increase in presence of peat piping.

Sphagnum cultured in vitro @ 6 weeks

Sphagnum moss capsules