In North Carolina, a race is on to restore critical peatland before it dries up or is destroyed
The birds are up with the sunrise—warblers, flycatchers, sparrows and towhees calling across the treetops. Deer browse on tender buds emerging from dense shrubs. Black bears scrounge for roots, insects and other edibles.
BELHAVEN, N.C. — Scientists and investors are working to restore a 23-square-mile area of peatland in North Carolina, aiming to mitigate climate-warming emissions and revive native habitat. The site's water has been drained for thousands of years via ditches, putting the land at risk of drought and wildfire, while releasing significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
Peatlands are responsible for storing one-third of the world's carbon, an amount that surpasses that stored in all forests combined. However, once damaged, these peatlands revert to emitting carbon. Pantheon Regeneration, a company, intends to restore the water table to reduce emissions, subsequently selling carbon credits to fund its mission of protecting a million acres of peatland from Virginia to Florida.
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