Where IS all the Sphagnum?
This is the question we would like to answer - and to do it we'd like your
help.
We've created a survey which
anyone can take part in. It's called 'The Big Moss Map'. The aim is to map
where this moss can currently be found in the Peak District and South Pennines.
|
Looking for Sphagnum - The Big Moss Map survey |
To find out why we're so
interested, read on...
Sphagnum mosses are small plants, but
collectively they can have an enormous effect. They are the engineers of the
peatland environment - without their amazing properties, we wouldn’t have as
much peat formation.
Peat is made of dead but not
rotting plant material - and it is Sphagnum which helps to create the
conditions in which it can form. Some species of the moss can hold up to 20
times their own weight in water, stored in special cells known as 'hyaline'
cells. This means that a blanket of Sphagnum
can make a whole area waterlogged - perfect conditions to stop organic matter
from decomposing. In addition to this, they produce a chemical called
'sphagnan' which has antiseptic properties - adding to the effect. It is for
this reason that dried out Sphagnum made a very effective filling for
wound dressings in World War 1 - and saved countless lives.
|
Sphagnum mosses |
Plants, including Sphagnum mosses, are built from carbon
- captured from the atmosphere when they photosynthesize. Usually, when a plant
dies it is broken down by fungi and decomposing bacteria - and that carbon is
released back into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. However the
special conditions created by Sphagnum means that this decay doesn't
happen –or happens very, very slowly. The carbon captured by these mosses is
not released back into the atmosphere, but stored on the ground as peat.
This process is glacially slow
(In fact, peat forms a lot slower than a glacier moves – only about 1mm can be
formed per year) - but peatlands can store a colossal amount of carbon. UK peat
currently holds around 3 billion tonnes of carbon. To put this in to context,
all the woodland in the UK holds less than 5% of that amount. It quickly
becomes clear what an important role Sphagnum can play in the fight
against climate change. As C02 levels in the atmosphere increase,
peat offers a way of capturing and storing some of this carbon. Not only this,
but healthy ‘active’ peatlands have a host of other benefits – they’re great
for wildlife, for reducing flood risk, for improving water quality and reducing
fire risk - to name a few.
All this sounds fantastic - and
indeed it is - if peatlands are in good condition. Sadly, the Peak District and
South Pennines are the most degraded in Europe. Large areas have been stripped
bare of Sphagnum and other vegetation by a 200 year history of
industrial pollution, overgrazing and wildfires - among other factors. In this
condition, this huge store of carbon turns from a 'sink' into a 'source'. The
exposed peat starts to erode and be broken down - releasing carbon back into
the atmosphere, and becoming a major contributor to our carbon emissions – if
we lost only 5% of the carbon stored in the UK’s peatlands, that would be
equivalent to the UK’s entire total annual greenhouse emissions.
Moors for the Future partnership
are attempting to reverse this process across the region by stabilizing and re-vegetating the bare peat and re-introducing native plants, including Sphagnum.
It is a huge task and there is still a long way to go, but great results have
already been achieved in a little over 12 years.
|
A small Sphagnum 'plug' -being planted by hand |
To help this work it is important
to know where the remaining areas of Sphagnum
are located within the region. This is where 'The Big Moss Map' - and you -
come in. If you can recognize Sphagnum
(or even if you can't yet - as we can provide free training to help you) all
you need to do is to note down the locations where you see it as you walk the
region's paths. The Sphagnum seen (or
not seen) along these paths provide us with a 'sample' of the area. Your
sightings will enable us to get an idea of the areas where this moss remains, and
help us to track the progress of its re-introduction as well its reaction to
future climate changes.
When the damage to the region’s
peatlands is repaired, and they are re-colonised by a blanket of this
magnificent moss, then the benefits – economic and social - as well as
environmental will be vast.