Formation

European peatlands

Peatlands cover an area of approximately 515,000km² in Europe. Table 1 below gives details. While most European countries have small areas of peatlands, the most extensive areas are found in the north, particularly Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. The remote locations and the often inhospitable climates have allowed much of the peatlands in Sweden, Norway and Russia to remain intact, but the situation in other parts of Europe has not been as favourable.

The cool wet climate of Western Europe provides ideal conditions for the formation of peat. Peatlands once covered around 17% of the Republic of Ireland and 13% of Northern Ireland. During the last century there has been a dramatic decline in peatland cover in all the countries in Western Europe. In the United Kingdom and Ireland over 90% of raised bogs have been lost. Blanket bogs have also declined in a similar manner, with reductions of 79% in the Republic of Ireland and 85% in Northern Ireland. Recent studies from Scotland, which had extensive blanket peat resources, indicate a reduction in cover of 21% between 1940 and 1980. Section 6 - Issues outlines some of the causes for the decline of peatlands in Europe.

The peatlands of Central Europe, while not as extensive as those in the north and west, have also been adversely affected during the last century. In Denmark it is estimated that only 1% of peatland is intact. Germany and the Netherlands have also experienced similar rates of peatland decline as a large proportion of their fens and raised bogs were drained to provide land for agriculture.

In Eastern Europe, countries such as Estonia have substantial peatland resources that are now threatened by the expansion of Western Europe's peat mining companies, with over 25% of Estonian peatlands drained for peat production in recent years. When more detailed information becomes available, it is likely that significant losses will also be recorded in other Eastern European countries.

The evidence from Europe clearly shows that an abundance of peatlands does not ensure their long-term survival. Peat no longer accumulates at 50% of former peatland sites, and 20% of the original areas of peatland in Europe no longer exist. Only six countries, Russia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden and the Ukraine, have more than 50% of their original peatland resources remaining.

Table 1. Peatland resources in Europe