Functions of Peatlands

According to the “Wise Use of Mires and Peatlands” by Donal Clarke and Hans Joosten (2002), the following functions of mires and peatlands can be identified:

Instrumental values are means to an end, i.e. are the beneficial effect of one entity on another entity.

Instrumental values are commonly subdivided into material and non-material life support functions with various subdivisions.

Material life-support function include regulation, carrier and production function.

Regulation functions:

• regulation of global climate
• regulation of regional and local climates
• regulation of catchment hydrology
• regulation of catchment hydrochemistry
• regulation of soil conditions

Carrier functions – providing space for:

• water reservoirs for hydro-electricity, irrigation, drinking and cooling water, and recreation
• fish ponds
• urban, industrial, and infrastructure development
• waste deposits / landfill
• military exercises and defence
• prisons
• transport and herding

Production functions:

• Peat extracted and used ex situ as/for:
  • humus and organic fertiliser in agriculture
  • substrate in horticulture
  • energy generation
  • raw material for chemistry
  • bedding material
  • filter and absorbent material
  • peat textiles
  • building and insulation material
  • balneology, therapy, medicine, and body care
  • flavour enhancer
• Provision of drinking water
• Wild plants growing on mires and peatlands as/for:
  • food
  • raw material for industrial products
  • medicine
• Wild animals for food, fur and medicine
• peat substrate in situ for
  • agriculture and horticulture
  • forestry

Non-material life-support values include informational and transformation & option functions:

Informational functions:

• social-amenity and history functions
• recreation and aestetic functions
• symbolisation, spirituality and existence functions
• signalisation and cognition functions

Transformation and option functions:

• possibility of modifying preferences, e.g. development of new tastes, improvement of social skills, growing awareness
• creating reassurance that their biological and regulation functions will be there for future generations

Intrinsic values:

Furthermore, peatlands have intrinsic moral values, the value an entity has in itself, irrespective of its importance to others.