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Local Authorities and Sustainable Peatland Management: Current Opportunities and Future Possibilities for Local Approaches
Water Peatlands are wetlands and form part of wider eco-hydrological units. SPM can, therefore, be viewed as an important element of water management systems. NRW are responsible for developing River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) which provide a framework for water management that addresses not just direct regulation by NRW with respect to water quality but wider issues of land management relevant to this objective. Local authorities must be consulted on these plans and have a duty to have regard to them in exercising any functions that affect a river basin. See Figure 4.
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Figure 4 Map of Peatlands of Wales and River Basin Districts
Sites designated for nature conservation NRW work with landowners to devise management plans for peatlands where these sit within Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)and/or Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). These are legal designations that relate to the special interest in these sites because they support rare or vulnerable habitats and/or endangered species. Protection of peatlands is the main or one of the primary reasons for the designation of 169 SSSIs in Wales which is around half of all those that exist. 1 Other peatlands may sit within such sites that are designated for other purposes.
1 National Peatlands Action Programme p.9
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