By Henrietta Appleton, GWCT Policy Officer
In August this year GWCT chief executive Teresa Dent wrote a letter to Greenpeace’s Interim Executive Director in response to its petition calling for a complete ban on controlled burning in the uplands.
GWCT received a reply outlining Greenpeace’s position, which despite our presentation of evidence to the contrary, reiterates the viewpoint that the “weight of scientific evidence shows heather burning, in particular, is damaging to English peatlands,” and, significantly, omits to mention the important role controlled burns can play in wildfire mitigation. This is in spite of the fact that wildfires are no longer exceptional occurrences, breaking out with increased regularity and intensity.