Once a vital fuel that heated homes, public peat cutting has now been banned by Tynwald.
Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said his department ’no longer consider it necessary to have a public turbary on the island’.
The effect of the motion Forestry (Public Turbaries) (Revocation) Byelaws 2020, is to close the island’s only remaining public turbary.
On this month’s order paper, DEFA said: ’Current scientific evidence shows that peat extraction, and the draining of land to enable peat extraction, contributes significantly towards greenhouse gas emissions and peat extraction should accordingly cease as part of the work to prevent climate change.
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’Furthermore, the extraction of this non-renewable resource, while only in a limited area, causes permanent damage to the island’s upland and is accordingly considered to have a negative environmental impact.
’Noting the above, and that no application has been made for entry onto the public turbary register in the last three years, the department no longer considers that a public turbary is necessary.’
Mr Boot said revoking the byelaws, in combination with DEFA’s ban on removing peat from it’s lands, will help to protect the uplands while also helping to lower the island’s greenhouse gases.
Bill Henderson MLC told Tynwald he ’implored’ the Minister to look further than DEFA land and seek to protect the heather moor uplands too.
This would offer greater protection for other wildlife habitats and biodiversity.
Speaker Juan Watterson said the move was ’closing the door on 2,000 years of peat cutting in the Isle of Man, the standard fuel for your average Manx thatched cottage’.
Mr Watterson sought clarification over whether the ban would extend to Cregneash. He said: ’I just can’t see Harry Kelly’s cottage with an air source heat pump.’
Responding, Mr Boot said his department was working on plans to restore 1,000 acres of peat land and improvements to slow water flow in catchment areas which he said was an ’important’ part of flood management.
He added: ’When it comes to historical authenticity, that will need some discussion.’