Peatlands, a unique type of wetland, store 1/3 of global soil carbon, support biodiversity, purify water, and provide vital ecosystem services for local livelihoods and socio-economic development.
Despite covering just 3% of Earth’s surface, peatlands are champions of ecosystem services, providing vital habitats for rare, threatened, and endemic species, as well as common wildlife, storing twice the amount of carbon found in forests, acting as buffers for environmental disasters, and regulating clean water sources.
The Global Peatlands Initiative, formed at UNFCCC COP22 in Morocco in 2016, is an international platform that transforms science into policy and action for peatlands conservation, restoration, and sustainable management.
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See the world's peatlands mapped on the UNEP World Environment Situation Room
