Peat bog destruction

• Biodiversity is a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem
• Human activities like changing land use, deforestation, and peat bog destruction reduce biodiversity
• Peat bogs are very wet areas of land without trees in which many types of moss grow
• Decomposition in peat bogs is very slow and peat is formed from partially decayed plants
• For many years, peat was removed from bogs for gardeners to add to their soil or to burn as fuel, which dramatically reduced biodiversity
• Peat is a non-renewable energy resource like fossil fuels
• Peat bogs are poorly drained areas made up of partially decomposed organic matter due to waterlogging
• Peat bogs are a very important store of carbon and are considered carbon sinks
• If all the peat was removed and burned, this would quickly release a huge volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect