School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences attend COP26 to assist in developing the Virtual Peatland Pavilion

Peatland Pavilion Event at COP 26

NTU’s Ben Clutterbuck attended the Peatland Pavilion conservation programme exhibition this November, hosted in Glasgow as part of COP26.

The Peatland Pavilion is a global collaboration between the UN, non-governmental organisations and leading academics and practitioners within the sector of peatland protection. The key aim of this initiative is to expand knowledge on how the peatlands can be preserved and provide this knowledge in an accessible way for all people to access and learn.

Peatlands and bog land play a vital role as a global store of carbon and gas emissions, along with hosting a hugely biodiverse hotspot. Peat soils contain over 600 gigatons of carbon, representing 44% of all soil carbon stores, making them the largest vegetation carbon storage on the planet; even outweighing the world’s forests.

This interactive virtual resource acts as an immersive hub to experience the peatlands, as well as giving access to all the latest research and preservation projects. The resource is available to anyone and everyone, aiming to inspire a worldwide effort towards conservation.

As we look to the future of this collaboration and the ongoing work being completed, here’s what Dr Ben Clutterbuck had to say about his experience at COP26:

“Along with working on the physical stand at the Peatland Pavilion COP26 event, the main focus of my attendance was assisting in the development of the immersive virtual Peatland Pavilion alongside Richard Lindsay and other IUCN and UEL members. The platform conveys vital research including my own and many other specialist researchers in this area and can be accessed by everyone to learn more about the ongoing damage to the Peatlands and how we can reduce this.”

“Almost all damage to the peatlands, including fires and drainage, can be linked to human behaviour, a lot of which may not even be to the knowledge of the individuals causing the damage. A combined effort in educating people globally and disproving outdated incorrect research around draining the peatlands is essential for growth towards the sustainability of these magnificent lands. I urge anyone who visits or works on peatland to access the virtual platform to understand the vital impact the lands have on the environment.”

“The COP26 Peatland Pavilion is something I am incredibly proud to be a part of, that exemplifies the years of research I have produced around this area. The research conveyed has already had a huge impact on the legislation and mindset around the peatlands and I greatly look forward to continuing our efforts and impact moving forward in this collaboration with the UN and fellow specialists.”

Taking the time to research and adapt our own behaviours will play an integral role in preserving the world around us. Having this information at our fingertips offers everyone the chance to make a difference, and protect our peatlands.

Here at NTU, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, the work completed on this collaboration and all other ongoing conservation projects contributes to the brighter future we aim to build.

To access the virtual pavilion and see the amazing resources and research provided by Ben and many other field specialists visit- COP26 Virtual Peatland Pavilion (net-fs.com)