The UK government has just announced a ban on burning deep peatland across England. It’s a milestone moment: peatlands are some of the most important landscapes we have and for too long they’ve been treated as expendable.

Peat is often called England’s “Amazon rainforest” - a natural storehouse of carbon, water and life. It forms slowly, layer by layer, over centuries. Yet in minutes, burning can undo all that patient work: releasing carbon into the atmosphere, draining wetlands, destroying habitats for rare species like adders, toads and ground-nesting birds.

Until now, protections were patchy. Only peat deeper than 40 cm, and mainly in designated conservation areas, was safe. The new law changes that - expanding the ban to cover all peat over 30 cm deep, across more than 676,000 hectares. It’s a recognition that peatlands are too valuable to burn.

Why This Matters

• Climate: Peatlands store more carbon than all the UK’s forests combined. Damaging them accelerates climate breakdown.
• Flood safety: Healthy peat holds water, slowing floods downstream. Burnt peat sheds it quickly.
• Wildlife: From mosses and dragonflies to waders and owls, peat supports an entire web of life.
• People: Cleaner water, better air, safer communities - restoring peat helps us all.

From Policy to Practice

Bans and regulations are only the first step. Without enforcement and investment, little will change on the ground. Peat that has already been drained or burnt won’t heal on its own. Restoration (rewetting, replanting, rewilding) is the hard, hopeful work that comes next.

Where LettsSafari Fits In

At LettsSafari, we believe laws should lead to landscapes alive with wildlife. That means:

• Hands-on restoration : supporting projects that rewet peat bogs, block drains, and re-introduce native mosses.
• Community involvement : turning local people into guardians of the land through education and citizen science.
• Storytelling : helping everyone see peat not as wasteland, but as wonderland.
• Accountability : championing monitoring and transparency so protections are more than promises.
• Connectivity : linking peat with meadows, wood pasture, and wetlands so nature thrives at scale.

The Bigger Picture

The peat ban is a victory, but also an invitation. Protecting peat is about more than halting harm: it’s about giving nature space and time to repair. At LettsSafari, we see it as proof that change is possible and that restoration is not a dream, but a path already opening beneath our feet.

Peatlands remind us that nature’s work is patient and powerful. If we give it the chance, it will heal - and in healing, heal us too.

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