The recent unveiling of Defra’s AI-powered peatland map has ignited widespread criticism, with farmers and local residents across the country – including in The Times today.
The promise of cutting-edge technology was to provide a detailed, accurate picture of England’s vital peatlands, but AI has, unfortunately, confused bog with rock.
Flooding at Soulton on the northern crop lands – these are peatland
As The Times put it:
“…inaccuracies appear from Devon to Shropshire… Even a wood first written about by Shakespeare – was confused with a prime peat bog”
The Times went on to quote us as follows:
“Two hundred miles away Tim Ashton who farms at Soulton Hall near Wem found that Soulton bluebell wood, which inspired Shakespeare’s As You Like It, was mapped as prime peat, while a 40-acre field he knew was degraded peat was unlisted. ‘On a public policy level this is useless,’ he said.”
The concern is that policy decisions, including those related to and conservation efforts, land use, environmental grants, are increasingly influenced by such datasets. If the foundational data is flawed, the resulting policies will be erroneous, potentially leading to misdirected resources, unfounded restrictions on landowners, and a failure to effectively protect and restore genuine peatland habitats.
Soulton Wood in bluebell time- inspiration to Thomas Lodge and William Shakespeare – this ancient woodland is over sandy soil.
