Peatlands

About Peatlands:

• Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing.
• Consequently, the production of organic matter exceeds its decomposition, which results in a net accumulation of peat.
  • Peat, formed from the accumulation of dead plant material, does not decompose in a water-logged state but when it dries, the organisms that break down plant material revive and the carbon seeps back into the atmosphere.
  • In cool climates, peatland vegetation is mostly made up of Sphagnum mosses, sedges and shrubs and are the primary builder of peat,
  • In warmer climates graminoids and woody vegetation provide most of the organic matter.
• The swamps and peatlands of the Congo Basin cover only 0.3% of the earth’s land surface, yet hold one-third of the carbon stored in its tropical peatlands.
• Distribution: The majority of the world’s peatlands occur in boreal and temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
• Types:
  • Northern and temperate peatlands: Found especially, Europe, North America and Russia where they have formed under high precipitation-low temperature climatic regimes.
  • Tropical peatlands: Found in Southeast Asia, mainland East Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Africa, parts of Australasia and a few Pacific Islands.