Moorland’s Hidden Power: How Peatlands Capture and Store Carbon

Ahead of the Commons debate on the future of driven grouse shooting taking place on Monday 30th June, we’re publishing a series of blog posts that examine the vital contribution made by grouse moor management.

Peatlands: Nature's Carbon Safes

At the heart of our moorlands lie peatlands, incredible natural formations that are the UK's largest terrestrial carbon store. Covering about 11% of England's land area, these peatlands hold an estimated 584 million tonnes of carbon.

To put that in perspective, if this carbon were released, it would be equivalent to 2.14 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions. The UK uplands alone are home to approximately 15% of the world's blanket bog, a special type of peatland.

Healthy, active peatlands continuously absorb carbon from the atmosphere, storing it and building up peat over millennia. However, if damaged or degraded, this delicate balance can tip, causing them to release this stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

The Role of Grouse Moor Management

For centuries, human activities have shaped these uplands, and today, grouse moor management (GMM) is a significant land use in the English uplands, covering around 423,000 hectares.

While the primary motivation for GMM is the conservation and enhancement of wild red grouse populations, it delivers far wider environmental and societal benefits. This management system involves a combination of practices, including heather burning, cutting, and controlled grazing.

Historically, GMM has been crucial in preventing detrimental land-use changes, such as extensive commercial forestry on deep peat, which would have been harmful to both biodiversity and carbon management. Gamekeepers, as primary custodians, dedicate their year-round efforts to these tasks, ensuring the health and resilience of these unique ecosystems.

Carbon and Moorlands: A Closer Look

Moorland management practices contribute significantly to carbon capture and storage:

• Managed Burning (Cool Burns): Gamekeepers use "cool burns" where only the top layer of vegetation is quickly burnt, leaving the underlying peat and moss layers intact. These controlled burns are supervised and occur during cooler months (October to April).

• Benefits of Burning: This practice is essential for reducing dense fuel loads, thereby preventing more destructive, uncontrolled wildfires that can burn deep into the peat and release massive amounts of carbon. Burning also promotes new, nutritious heather growth, which is vital food and cover for red grouse and other species. It creates a mosaic of different heather heights and ages, which enhances overall biodiversity across the moor.

• Biochar Formation: A fascinating aspect of managed burning is the creation of pyrogenic charcoal, or "biochar." This stable form of carbon is produced during the incomplete combustion of vegetation and can lock up carbon in the peat for very long periods. Research suggests that more frequent burning can lead to greater carbon storage in this charcoal, potentially offsetting initial carbon releases.

• Carbon Emission Control: While some carbon is released during burning, managed burns are proportionally less emissive than wildfires. For instance, wildfires consume nearly twice as much carbon per hectare as controlled burns. Overall, English grouse moors are estimated to contribute a relatively small proportion (between 0.98% and 4.82%) of total England peatland net carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, a figure that is often lower than their proportion of carbon stored.

• Peatland Restoration: Grouse moor managers are actively engaged in peatland restoration efforts, including blocking thousands of kilometres of drains. This rewetting helps to restore the natural waterlogged conditions essential for peat formation, locking up carbon and aiding in flood alleviation. More than 30,000 hectares of peatland restoration have been completed on grouse moors recently, contributing significantly to national targets.

A Sustainable Future

The evidence strongly suggests that grouse moor management is a sustainable land use that provides a wide range of environmental, economic, and social benefits for society. From acting as critical carbon stores and mitigating wildfire risks to supporting rare bird populations and underpinning rural livelihoods, these managed landscapes are multifunctional powerhouses.

As discussions continue about the future of driven grouse shooting in the UK, it is crucial that policymakers and stakeholders acknowledge and value these multifaceted contributions.

Moving forward, collaborative, evidence-based approaches are essential to ensure the continued health of our moorlands and the communities that depend on them.

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