Government proposes extension of heather-burning ban

Nature-rich peatland habitats are to be better protected under plans set out by the UK Government.

Under the proposals, the area of 'deep peat' that will be protected will increase by some 146,000 ha to 368,000 ha. This accounts for more than half of England's peatlands.

The definition of 'deep peat' will be revised, so that any depths of 30 cm (rather than the current 40 cm) will be recognised.

While welcoming the government's announcement, The Wildlife Trusts say that the move doesn't go far enough and argue that all peatlands should be protected from burning.

Healthy peatland is brilliant for a wide range of wildlife (Mark Hamblin / 2020 Vision).

Better peat, better health

Healthy peat stores carbon, reduces flood risk, improves water quality and supports rare and declining wildlife. 

However, 80% of England's peatlands are currently degraded. Burning on peatland increases heather growth, which dries out the peatland, causing it to actually emit rather than store carbon.

Burning of vegetation including heather on this scale causes the release of harmful smoke into the air, impacting air quality across communities. This includes harmful air pollutants for human health, including ones strongly associated with strokes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and some lung cancers.

These changes will benefit communities by improving air and water quality, and protect homes and businesses from flood damage, which supports economic stability and security under our Plan for Change. 

This approach is being supported by evidence provided by Natural England. Any prescribed burning would need to be done under strict licence that will be issued where there is a clear need, such as to reduce wildfire risk.

A consultation period will run for eight weeks, with the public and land managers encouraged to have their say. The UK Government is proposing to refine the existing licensing system whereby applicants need to successfully explain why alternative methods have not or would not work and show how they intend to move the land away from the need to burn in future in order to receive a licence. One of the grounds to apply for a licence to burn will be to reduce the risk of wildfire, so we can balance environmental protection with practical land management.

Eurasian Curlew is one such species that benefits from healthy peatland (Glyn Sellors).

The Wildlife Trusts respond

Dr Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery at The Wildlife Trusts, said: "The proposal to extend the ban on the burn is most welcome. Burning peat is an extremely damaging activity, and so we're really pleased that the government is taking the issue seriously. A ban will be good news for the air that we breathe, for the water we drink, and for the natural carbon cycle – and it will mean less flooding for people. It's also brilliant news for wildlife.  

"But we need to see all burning of peatland banned. Burning kills the species that rely on precious peatlands – from rare bog-mosses and moorland birds to dragonflies and adders. The practice is entirely unnecessary – extensive evidence shows that alternate forms of moorland management, particularly blocking up drains and restoring water to natural levels, works much better than burning.

"Regular burning of peatlands can cause severe wildfires. Over the years the practice has replaced wet sphagnum moss with habitats that are dominated by heather and sedges – and these plants are much more susceptible to wildfire. Bringing back wetter sphagnum rich blanket bog will help prevent wildfires.

"As the climate and nature emergency deepens, banning peatland burning can't come soon enough. Our designated sites – Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas – should have been protected from burning long ago. It is now time to extend a burning ban to all peatlands – designated or not."