Peatlands disappearance of concern

Peatlands disappearance of concern

10 November 2006

published by story.malaysiasun.com

Kenya — A report released Friday at a U.N. conference in Kenya indicatesclearing peat lands threatens the world’s ability to reduce carbon dioxide inthe atmosphere.
The report released at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, meeting until Nov. 17in Nairobi, finds deforestation, frequent fires, draining for agriculture useand timber are among the reasons valuable peat lands are disappearing, andcountries are doing little to limit the damage.
Marcel Silvius of Wetland International said peat fires produce heavy smoke andtake long to extinguish, contributing to carbon dioxide emissions.
No more peat land should be cleared and projects to reclaim the lost landsshould be started in the already lost areas, Silvius said.
Peat lands are made up of densely packed, partly decayed plant matter thousandsof years old and while they occupy a mere 3-5 percent of the Earth’s surface,can absorb 25-30 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide.