Peat rights revoked to protect carbon stores

Tue, 28 Jul 2020

Ancient rights, which allow people to extract peat for fuel, have been revoked by Tynwald.

Globally, peatlands account for one third of the world's land based carbon, and in 2019 research carried out by the Manx Government and the Manx Wildlife Trust estimated that Manx peat soils could contain up to 20 million tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent).

Last week, Tynwald supported a motion tabled by Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture to revoke the Public Turbary Byelaws from the Forestry Act 1984.

It means people will no longer be able to extract peat from the Island's only public turbary, on Beinn-Y-Phott, from 1 August 2020.

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