Far from here, in the upland moors of Lancashire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire, fires are blazing. Some of these fires are huge, fueled in part by the driest May on record, combined with antisocial behavior like littering and the use of barbecues. It often takes days at a time for firefighters to get the flames under control and even then, the earth can smoulder for weeks. However, completely unknowingly, people here in Alderney may have contributed to some of these fires…

Upland habitats, in particular peat moors, are some of the most degraded of all the UK’s precious wildlife habitats. Peatlands should be boggy wetlands with a unique composition of species including the golden plover, short-eared owl and curlew, cottontail grass, sphagnum moss, mountain hare and large heath butterflies. The acidic, wetted soils mean plant matter does not degrade as with other soils, but has built up for millions of years – forming peat, sometimes several meters thick. This process locks up billions of tonnes of carbon in addition to creating a special home for wildlife.

These wild habitats have become severely degraded by drainage, extraction of peat and bad farming practices. Drainage Is often done to make the land available for grouse shooting and sheep farming. Increased nutrients from heavy use of fertilisers and erosion from frequent ploughing alters the delicate balance of acidity in the uplands. Peat is extracted for use in our gardens - which is where we all come in.

If you do one simple thing for British wildlife this summer, check where your compost comes from. Ask your gardener or garden centre and if they can’t guarantee peat free then don’t buy compost from them. Check what any plants have been grown in too, there is no benefit to planting with peat in terms of plant growth or health. Just asking the question sends a message and if the demand isn’t there for peat products, extraction becomes unviable.

Uplands can, and are being, restored by removing drainage channels and banning extraction in sensitive areas but the protection must be tightened and consumer demand has to change. This would lock in the carbon peatlands store, slowing climate change, and also play an important role in natural flood management.

It’s incredibly simple but if we all did this one thing it would be a huge step towards protecting these iconic upland areas for the future.