There is a growing awareness that peatlands are a key component of the global carbon cycle due to their role as an important carbon sink. However, many ecologists and conservation biologists lack a general understanding of peatlands despite the fact that they are also often repositories for rare species and, in many regions, represent the last remnants of natural vegetation. This book provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to peatland ecology. As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book will be on the organisms that dominate peatland habitats although their management, conservation and restoration will also be considered.