The Trust welcomes Fife Council’s rejection of plans for horticultural peat extraction.
Last year, the Trust objected to the proposal put forward by developers for a ten-year programme at a site near Mossmorran which would have led to a 1,200 year old peat bog being excavated which would destroy this important habitat.
Peatbogs are increasingly being recognised for the ecosystem services they provide – such as water filtration, flood mitigation, wildlife habitat and carbon capture – and are much more valuable to society than their use after being dug up.
The Trust recently welcomed the call by MSPs to end horticultural peat extraction in Scotland as commercial peat extraction is damaging and destroying some of Scotland’s valuable raised bogs. Unfortunately applications for commercial peat extraction are still being approved by some local authorities.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust Living Landscapes Policy Officer, John McTague, said: “The Scottish Wildlife Trust would commend Fife Council for rejecting this application and sending a message to developers that peat extraction for horticultural use is not in line with Scotland’s environmental policies or climate targets.
“Peat takes an extraordinary amount of time to form – roughly one millimetre per year – and in the case of Mossmorran, we would have seen 1.2 meters of peat extracted. To put this into context, this peat began forming when the Vikings first arrived in Scotland 1,200 years ago.
“Across Scotland, lowland bogs need protecting and restoring. Many peatlands are in a damaged condition or have been completely destroyed. This site could now be restored to be rich with peat specialist plants such as cranberry, heather and sundew and to provide crucial habitat for wildlife such as breeding snipe and wintering merlins.
“The Scottish Wildlife Trust firmly believes that we need to start placing more value on Scotland’s peatlands and stop the archaic practice of digging them up for horticulture.”
To read the Trust’s original objection to Fife Council, please click here.