On the day the Scottish Government’s consultation on the future of Scotland’s soils closes (Monday 21 September), the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) is warning that climate change could wreak havoc with peatland soils in the Scottish uplands.

The importance of soils is not always immediately obvious but should not be taken for granted. Soils are the very foundation of a thriving environment and economy. Amongst other benefits, they provide the basis for food production, regulate water flow and support natural habitats for wildlife.

As Jonny Hughes, SWT’s Head of Policy said “Scotland’s climate is predicted to get significantly wetter and warmer in the coming decades. The combined effect of hot dry spells drying out our peatland soils followed by torrential rainstorms could result in catastrophic losses of vulnerable upland soils. What makes this scenario doubly worse is that such erosion would see carbon released back into the atmosphere, further stoking global warming. It would undermine the ‘sponge effect’ that our bogs have in soaking up rainfall, increasing the frequency and intensity of landslides and flooding down catchment.”

More than twice as much carbon is contained within our soils as in vegetation or the atmosphere. Studies in England and Wales have shown that peat rich soils are already losing carbon at a rate of 2% a year and that this loss is linked to climate change. The picture is likely to be similar in Scotland where we have a staggering one million hectares of blanket bog containing over 1 billion of the 2.7 billion tonnes of carbon stored in our organic soils. These peatland habitats cover over half of Scotland and are of international importance for their wildlife and landscape value. They include the wild iconic landscapes of the Flow Country and the Lewis Peatlands.

As Mr Hughes continues “It is not all doom and gloom – this is a problem we can do something about if we act now. The Government’s proposed Soil Framework needs to recognise that in the face of climate change, if we continue to take a “business as usual” approach to soil protection, we are doing so at our peril. Soils have already been severely weakened by deforestation, overgrazing and pollution. A warming climate and increasingly turbulent weather could be the hammer blow which causes irretrievable damage. Once soils have been washed away into our burns and rivers they will take thousands of years to recover.”

1.       Fully support efforts by the European Union to introduce a Soils Framework Directive;

2.       Fund a programme of restoration of damaged peatlands across Scotland to help ensure they are healthy enough to withstand climate change pressures;

3.       Develop a Scottish Soils Information System, similar to the one the Norwegian Government operates, so we can monitor change;

4.       Ensure the planning system protects important soils, particularly those associated within natural habitats and prime agricultural land,

5.       Ensure new developments in urban areas do not concrete over soils unnecessarily as this exacerbates flooding and reduces biodiversity;

6.       Redouble support for the organic farming sector.  

Mr Hughes added “If the Government shows leadership on this issue, the worst impacts could avoided. Protecting soils is all about sustainable land use, we must move towards a relationship with the land which is based on working in balance with nature, rather than treating nature as a resource which will always recover from overexploitation.”

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NOTES TO EDITORS

 

1.              To read SWT’s full response to the consultation visit: www.swt.org.uk/Consultations.aspx

2.               SWT is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 30,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. SWT seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.

3.            SWT receives financial assistance and support from Scottish Natural Heritage.