On the Isle of Man, a small team is undertaking the meticulous work of restoring ancient peatlands, crucial ecosystems for carbon storage. Sarah Hickey, the island's Peatland Officer, is part of an Uplands team of three responsible for managing approximately 8,000 hectares of the island's hills.
Peat, formed over thousands of years from partially decayed vegetation in waterlogged conditions, stores more carbon than any other soil type on Earth. Hickey's role involves identifying damaged areas of this landscape and initiating their recovery. "It's important to keep that carbon locked away and not released to the atmosphere," Hickey stated.
The island's peatlands have suffered damage primarily from historical peat cutting. By the 17th century, the uplands were largely stripped of trees, leading inhabitants to use peat as a fuel source for heating and cooking. This practice, though banned in 2020, left behind significant erosion and collapsing ground, with the resulting sediment washing into reservoirs.
The restoration process involves physically probing the peatland to assess its condition. As Hickey demonstrates, pushing a metre-long metal rod into the wet ground indicates the depth and integrity of the peat layer.
Maneuvering across the wet terrain, the team works to reintroduce life into these vital landscapes. The goal is to stabilize the eroding peat faces and allow the natural vegetation to regrow, effectively resealing the stored carbon within the bogs. This work is essential for both environmental health and the quality of the island's water supply, which is affected by sediment runoff from the damaged uplands.
The visible impact of past peat extraction is evident in the landscape, with areas resembling collapsed black holes contrasted against the regenerating grassy ponds. 
