Actions to conserve biodiversity
We have summarised evidence from the scientific literature about the effects of actions to conserve wildlife and ecosystems.
Review the evidence from the studies
Not sure what Actions are? Read a brief description.
125 Actions found
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125 Actions found
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Action | Effectiveness | Studies | Category | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rewet peatland (raise water table) Action Link | Beneficial | 36 | ![]() | |
Add mixed vegetation to peatland surface Action Link | Beneficial | 18 | ![]() | |
Cut/mow herbaceous plants to maintain or restore disturbance Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 14 | ![]() | |
Add mosses to peatland surface Action Link | Beneficial | 13 | ![]() | |
Cover peatland with organic mulch (after planting) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 12 | ![]() | |
Cut/remove/thin forest plantations and rewet peat Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 11 | ![]() | |
Directly plant peatland trees/shrubs Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 11 | ![]() | |
Exclude or remove livestock from degraded peatlands Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 10 | ![]() | |
Remove upper layer of peat/soil (without planting) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 10 | ![]() | |
Introduce seeds of peatland herbs Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 10 | ![]() | |
Add inorganic fertilizer (before/after planting) Action Link | Trade-off between benefit and harms | 9 | ![]() | |
Restore/create peatland vegetation (multiple interventions) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 8 | ![]() | |
Cover peatland with something other than mulch (after planting) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 8 | ![]() | |
Directly plant peatland mosses Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 7 | ![]() | |
Use prescribed fire to control problematic plants Action Link | Trade-off between benefit and harms | 6 | ![]() | |
Add lime (before/after planting) Action Link | Likely to be ineffective or harmful | 6 | ![]() | |
Legally protect peatlands Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 5 | ![]() | |
Directly plant peatland herbs Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 5 | ![]() | |
Introduce seeds of peatland trees/shrubs Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 5 | ![]() | |
Cut/remove/thin forest plantations Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 4 | ![]() | |
Use grazing to maintain or restore disturbance Action Link | Trade-off between benefit and harms | 4 | ![]() | |
Use cutting/mowing to control problematic herbaceous plants Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 4 | ![]() | |
Restore/create peatland vegetation using the moss layer transfer technique Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 4 | ![]() | |
Reprofile/relandscape peatland (before planting) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 4 | ![]() | |
Use prescribed fire to maintain or restore disturbance Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 3 | ![]() |
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Peatland Conservation - Published 2018
Peatland Conservation
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What are 'Individual studies' and 'Actions'?
Individual studies
An individual study is a summary of a specific scientific study, usually taken from a scientific journal, but also from other resources such as reports. It tells you the background context, the action(s) taken and their consequences.
If you want more detail please look at the original reference.
Actions
Each action page focuses on a particular action you could take to benefit wildlife or ecosystems.
It contains brief (150-200 word) descriptions of relevant studies (context, action(s) taken and their consequences) and one or more key messages.
Key messages show the extent and main conclusions of the available evidence. Using links within key messages, you can look at the paragraphs describing each study to get more detail. Each paragraph allows you to assess the quality of the evidence and how relevant it is to your situation.
Where we found no evidence, we have been unable to assess whether or not an intervention is effective or has any harmful impacts.