Sky News: trees to be cut down in the Scottish village of Banloit to save peatlands on which they grow, and thereby save the planet from greenhouse gases. Scientists expect this measure to help retain carbon and help restore biodiversity, according to Sky News.
Laser scans have shown that Banloit's peatlands contain 1.2 million tonnes of carbon, equivalent to about two percent of the annual carbon footprint. Scotland. The commercial planting of spruce trees on peat soils has damaged and drained peatlands, which has increased the emission of greenhouse gases so much that the trees are unable to absorb them.
Cutting down conifers will be part of the Bunloit peatland swamping program Rewilding of the Rewilding Europe Foundation. According to experts, the restoration of peat bogs contributes to the conservation of 60 thousand tons of carbon over 100 years. Bogs will become a habitat for many species of flora and fauna, in line with the goal of conserving biodiversity in the region.
Peat bogs are also natural reservoirs of fresh water and can mitigate the effects of floods. Earlier, the head of the UK Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd, warned the government of the country about the need to restore wetlands to reduce the risk of flooding due to climate change.