Peatlands and people are connected by a long history of cultural development. Peatlands have always been part of human history. Since pre-history, hunter-gatherers and traditional farmers have exploited peatlands by harvesting plants, game, fish, forage, fuel and other useful products. Bog bodies, tools, ornaments, weapons and other archaeological remains found in abundance in peatlands, are testament to the long and intimate relationship between people and peatlands during the whole Holocene (Joosten in press). Large-scale human modification of peatlands for agriculture started with the origin of rice cultivation in China about 6000 years BC (Glover and Higham 1996). The Minyans drained and subsequently cultivated the Kopais basin in Greece 3,500 years ago (Knauss et al. 1984). Some centuries later, the Babylonians established municipal reedbeds and harvested bulrushes for construction purposes (Boulé 1994). Peat bogs were also a primary source of bog iron, used since the Iron Age.

Utilisation of Peatlands For centuries, some peatlands worldwide have been used in agriculture, both for grazing and for growing crops. Large areas of tropical peatlands have in recent years been cleared and drained for food crops and cash crops such as oil palm and other plantations. Many peatlands are exploited for timber or drained for plantation forestry. Peat is being extracted for industrial and domestic fuel, as well as for use in horticulture and gardening. Peatlands also play a key role in water storage and supply, as well as in flood control.

Interactions between humans and peatlands can create far-reaching environmental and economic impacts. Whereas many peatland development activities are considered on the basis of short- to medium-term economic interests, the environmental, social and economic impacts can be far reaching and may span many generations. In many cases this is related to the gradual nature of the impacts of changes in peat hydrology and the related soil subsidence and carbon emissions, which places the burden of impacts on future generations.