Humans reduce the amount of land available for other species by building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste.
What are peat bogs?
Areas of land where the abiotic factors (high acidity and often waterlogged) meant that for years, the plant material didn't decompose when it died. These are rare habitats and so need lots of protection.
How are peat bogs destroyed by humans?
Mostly we use peat to produce compost for gardeners. Nowadays more compost is "peat free" to avoid destroying more peat bogs but there is still some produced with peat.
How else can peat bogs be destroyed?
If the water is drained away to dry out the ground, the peat will start to decay as the abiotic factors have changed. Also, peat can be burned as a fuel so this has been a big use of peat in some places.
What happens when a peat bog is destroyed?
The area of peat bog land is reduced and this means the variety of plants, animals and microorganisms is reduced. Biodiversity levels fall in these rare habitats.
Why is peat destruction bad for the environment?
Decaying peat (in compost or drained peat bogs) or burning peat as fuel releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
