Abstract

Peatlands are wetland ecosystems characterized by the accumulation of large amounts of organic matter over centuries and millennia; they are the most important long-term carbon sink in terrestrial ecosystems. Peatlands are also valuable ecosystems for biocultural and biodiversity conservation, as paleoclimatic archives, and as providers of ecosystem services to human society. The primary current anthropogenically-driven threats to peatlands in Patagonia include changes in land use leading to land desiccation, the introduction of invasive species, and Sphagnum magellanicum moss and peat extraction for export. Inappropriate management of peatlands could have major environmental and social impacts. This chapter aims to provide updated and synthesized information to support decision-making for the management and conservation of peatlands, and the potential contribution of pristine peatland ecosystems in mitigating climate change. A national inventory, conservation of peatland ecosystems in their multiple levels of ecosystem functioning, improvement of restoration practices, and the prevention of the degradation are among the urgent priorities in order to reduce negative socio-ecological and economic impacts over the short, medium and long term.