Firefighters have been battling a vast wildfire in the hills above Blaenavon in south Wales, spreading across more than 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres), for three weeks.
Around 200 military personnel were called in to support exhausted fire crews as more fires broke out across the south Wales valleys. Smoke from Blaenavon could be seen from Cardiff and Gloucestershire.
We cannot stop all such wildfires. But it's possible to make our landscapes more resilient to them—by restoring and recreating a natural habitat we have spent centuries doing our best to remove: wetlands.
Over 75% of the UK's bogs, fens, marshes and other wetlands have been dug up, drained and destroyed since 1700, stripping the landscape of much of its natural ability to hold water. Restoring them would keep soils and vegetation wetter, providing less fuel for flames. Strategically placed wetlands could also form natural breaks that slow fires before they reach homes, forests or farmland.
Peatlands are being restored across Scotland. Credit: NatureScot
