Local communities are set to benefit from improved air
quality, following an announcement that the government will
extend the ban on burning vegetation on deep peat as part of new
plans to protect both the environment and public health.
The burning ban will protect our globally unique network of
peatlands which are commonly referred to as the Earth's
lungs.
Peatlands improve water and air quality, create habitats for
wildlife, absorb carbon and help protect communities from
flooding. To deliver these benefits, they must be in a healthy
condition but 80% of peatlands across England are dried out and
deteriorating and actually emit carbon dioxide contributing to
global warming.
Burning vegetation on deep peat causes the release of harmful
smoke into the air, impacting air quality across communities.
This includes harmful air pollutants for human health, including
ones strongly associated with strokes, cardiovascular disease,
asthma and some lung cancers.
The move as part of the government's Plan for Change sees the
burning ban extended to cover 676,628 hectares of deep peat up
from the current 222,000 hectares – meaning an area equivalent to
the size of Devon will now be better protected. The extension
comes into force from 30 September.
Environment Minister said:
“Our peatlands are England's Amazon Rainforest – home to our
most precious wildlife, storing carbon and reducing
flooding downstream.
“Burning on peatland releases harmful smoke ruining local
air quality and damaging the
precious ecosystems found in these iconic
landscapes.
“Restricting burning will help us restore and rewet peatlands.
These new measures will create resilient peatlands that are
naturally protected from wildfires.”
The extension comes following a consultation on measures
announced earlier this year, and
expands protections to all deep peat in the uplands, and
redefines deep peat from the current 40cm to 30cm depth.
A refined licencing system which allows prescribed burning in
exceptional circumstances will also be introduced. Any licences
for prescribed burning will only be issued where there is a clear
need, for example, to reduce wildfire risk. This will help
balance environmental protection with practical land management.
The government is expected to publish its new Environmental
Improvement Plan this Autumn, setting out its ambitions to halt
the decline of nature. This will build on existing work to
protect and restore nature, clean up our rivers and seas, boost
tree planting and reduce waste.
This government has already licensed the first wild beaver
release since they were hunted to extinction around 400 years
ago, announced the creation of a new national forest stretching
from the Cotswolds to the Mendips, started cleaning up our
rivers, lakes and seas by introducing tough new powers through a
new Act of Parliament, initiated waste reforms which will see £10
billion invested in new recycling facilities, and will invest up
to £400 million in tree planting and peatland restoration over
the next two years.
Additional information:
You can find out more about when you need to apply for a licence
to burn heather and grass via this link.
