Peatlands are important natural ecosystems with high
value for biodiversity conservation, climate regulation
and human welfare. Peatlands are those wetland
ecosystems characterized by the accumulation of
organic matter (peat) derived from dead and decaying
plant material under conditions of permanent water
saturation. They cover over 4 million km2 worldwide
(3% of the world’s land area), contain 30% of all
global soil carbon, occur in over 180 countries and
represent at least a third of the global wetland
resource (Parish et al. 2008).