Gift to Nature
an Isle of Wight conservation partnership
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What's Lurking Under the Ground
17 Sep 2012
The Gift to Nature site at Sandown Wetlands looks lovely all through out the year but there is something just as valuable lurking under the soil. There are rich peat beds going down many meters. These are dwindling features which are very important for the amount of carbon they captured while being created and continue to keep wrapped up and out of the atmosphere. According to the boffins, peat bogs contain nearly 30% of all the land stored carbon (visit peat-portal.net for more details).
Over the summer the Green Gym and our rangers have been working hard at Gift to Nature’s Sandown Wetland reserve. The grass was cut back and scrub species cleared. During the winter we will be clearing the waterways and removing invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam. We are conscious of the valuable role of the peat below the site in storing carbon and work hard to maintain this state. This involves control of the plants and scrub on the site and careful maintenance of the water levels. People can come and enjoy the walk across the wetlands and help themselves to fruit in the community orchard. We are leading a walk through the wetlands on Saturday the 27th of October at 10.30, meeting at the Orchard.
