By Wildlife Conservation Society 

A new study released on Feb 13th, 2025 reveals that peatlands — a vital carbon store that many people have never heard of — are dangerously under-protected, putting the global climate at risk. Covering just 3% of Earth’s surface, these terrestrial wetlands store 600 billion tons of carbon — more than all the world’s forest biomass combined — yet only 17% of peatlands fall within a protected area. 

The new study, Mismatch Between Global Importance of Peatlands and the Extent of their Protection, offers the first global assessment of the conservation status of the world’s peatlands. These wetlands accumulate partially decomposed organic matter, preventing the release of billions of tons of carbon-dioxide to the atmosphere. But peatlands emit that CO2 when they are drained, disturbed, extracted, or removed completely to access resources (e.g., mining or forestry) or to convert them to other uses, such as farmlands.

“This study is a real benchmark of where we are in terms of the conservation and management of peatlands globally,” said Dr. Kemen Austin, PhD, lead study author and Director of Science at the Wildlife Conservation Society. “Our research reveals that these vital ecosystems don’t have anywhere near the level of protection they need.” 

The authors note that release of peatlands’ stored carbon leads to dangerous levels of greenhouse gases.  Failure to protect peatlands puts their carbon stores at high risk and could also endanger global supplies of freshwater, as peatlands contain 10% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater. They are also rich in biodiversity — containing a dazzling variety of mosses, flowering plants,  birds, snails, fish and butterflies.

The study also shows that almost half of temperate and tropical peatlands that fall within protected areas are still subject to medium to high pressure from human encroachment. The authors conclude that “the conservation and sustainable management of nearly all remaining undegraded peatlands, and the recovery of nearly all degraded peatlands, is essential to limiting global warming to 1.5°C.” 

“The multilateral climate change negotiations hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change offer an important opportunity to elevate peatland conservation actions as a climate priority,” said Austin. “But based on the nationally determined contributions countries have submitted to date, the continued disturbance and damage to global peatlands is  getting very little attention as a significant and avoidable source of GHG emissions.”  

With some exceptions — such as Indonesia and the UK, — most countries do not have comprehensive peatland strategies to support their national climate plans.

And while some countries emphasize the importance of peatlands in their climate plans, they can still face challenges translating these peatland goals into coordinated policies and conservation actions. 

“Peatlands offer a huge opportunity for helping to solve the climate crisis,” said Austin. “If we act now to conserve peatlands, then we can reap some enormous benefits — at a relatively low cost.”

Find study here: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.13080