Let's Conserve the Peat Bogs - They're Valuable Complete Environments

Peat bogs are baffling places that have benefited the human race for thousands of years. They are likewise a refuge for wildlife and a haven for a wide variety of plants. But the mystery that shrouds peat bogs can actually provide some clues to mankind's past.

Some people may want to know what exactly peat bogs are. Peat bogs are formed under wet climate (a good example is the prevailing damp weather condition in large areas in the United Kingdom). When hollows in the ground become saturated with water, bogs come into existence. Because of the inadequacy of oxygen in this water-saturated environment, the plant life is subjected only to partial decomposition - thus, it turns to peat. Bogs are unable to promote ordinary plant life as, again, oxygen - which is supposed to break down the nutritive substances in peat - is lacking. For this reason, plants that obtain their nutrients from other sources settle in bogs. For example, there are bog plants that get their nutrients from insects that they trap and eat. Others subsist in mutualism with microorganisms that are present in their roots. One particular plant that is common in most bogs is the sphagnum moss. This bog plant gets its sustenance from the minerals that rain provides.

For thousands of generations, the peat that bogs produce was cut and dried, and then burned to be used as fuel or for growing plants. This is especially true in many places in Europe. Today, many power stations are fueled with peat, while plant growers around the world use it in their garden.

There are other reasons why peat and peat bogs are valuable. For instance, peat bogs have provided scientists with informative data that help determine the causes and reasons for changes in the global climate. The same information can assist scientists in predicting future climate alterations. Peat, on the other hand, is known to have preserving power. Seeds and grains of pollen that strayed and dropped into the peat bog thousands of years ago remain unchanged. This specific instance provides helpful clues to the history of that particular area.

Peat bogs are actually environments that are full or complete. However, they are open to damage or destruction. Farming and forestry are two known threats to the existence of peat bogs. Animal raisers change the natural conditions of peat bogs by reclaiming the areas and turning them into grazing lands for their herd. Farmers treat the land with fertilizers which kill the peat bogs instantly. Trees, such as birch and pine that are planted over large scales of land, draw off water gradually from the bogs until the bogs' water supply becomes depleted.

While peat bogs do not need to be managed, those that are damaged must be protected for the purpose of allowing nature to reclaim and restore them to their natural state. Ensuring that peat bogs have sufficient water is the key to preventing their loss. Filling in drainage systems is therefore necessary for this purpose. Equally important is the sealing of cut peat to prevent water leakage. Also, there should be an end to turning peat bogs into forests or burning them to create grazing land, both of which can disturb the delicate balance of the ecosystem. [Read the Original Article]