Peatscapes on the edge: ecological resilience to fire in the Anthropocene

Understanding how UK peatlands respond to and recover from wildfires

Peatscapes on the edge: ecological resilience to fire in the Anthropocene

Understanding how UK peatlands respond to and recover from wildfires

Overview

This project is a three-year research initiative led by the University of Plymouth. It aims to understand how UK peatlands – critical natural defences against climate change – respond to and recover from wildfires.

Peatlands are extensive carbon stores, but increasing fire frequency, along with climate change impacts, threatens to transform them into carbon sources in some cases. This study focuses on three iconic UK landscapes: Dartmoor, the Peak District, and the Flow Country. By comparing these regions, we are investigating why some peatlands are more resilient to fire while others suffer long-term damage.

The primary aim of the project is to determine how UK peatlands with different vegetation, fire histories, and land-use legacies vary in their ecological resilience, recovery dynamics, and vulnerability to changing climate trends and fire activity.

Objectives

Generate new, high-temporal resolution records of continuous fire activity across three contrasting UK peatscapes covering the last 5,000 years.

Select and analyse specific fire 'events' from these records to characterise the nature of the burning and the peatland's state before and after the fire.

Use satellite remote sensing data to evaluate patterns of peatland disturbance and recovery from known fires over the last 40 years.

Determine the relationship between ecosystem conditions and their response to fire, particularly regarding carbon accumulation rates, to identify whether behaviours have changed during the Anthropocene.

By meeting these objectives, the research seeks to identify 'tipping points' where peatlands may transition from carbon sinks to carbon sources and provide evidence-based targets for restoration and management.

Context of the issue

Peatlands are globally important ecosystems, storing vast amounts of carbon and supporting unique biodiversity, yet they are highly sensitive to environmental change. In many regions, including upland and temperate systems, peatlands have been increasingly affected by human activity such as land use change, and burning, alongside the growing influence of climate change. Fire, in particular, can alter peat structure, carbon storage, and hydrological function, with consequences that persist for centuries.

Understanding how peatlands have responded to past fire events and long-term environmental pressures is therefore valuable for predicting future resilience and informing restoration strategies.

How the project addresses the issue

We are using a long-term ecological approach, combining palaeoecology with modern satellite technology, to see how past human activity and climate shifts have shaped the resilience of these ecosystems today. The research will also use high-tech chemical analysis to identify what kind of vegetation burned centuries ago and under what conditions, providing a 'fingerprint' of past fires.

The project is a collaborative effort between the University of Plymouth and the University of Nottingham and will involve working with key environmental organisations. This research aims to provide conservationists and practitioners with a roadmap for protecting these vital ecosystems, ensuring they continue to store carbon and support biodiversity in a warming world.

Centre of Research excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems (CRISPS)

CRISPS brings together a vibrant community of transdisciplinary researchers, working towards addressing the challenge of sustainably feeding a global population of 9 billion. Founded upon research excellence in aquaculture, agricultural technology and soil health, and underpinned by investment in cutting-edge facilities, the Centre will create the critical mass required to ensure impactful research and real-world deployment in the UK and beyond.