The Return of Organic Soft Tissue Preservation Abilities and the “Bog Body” Phenomenon in MLTT Restored Peatlands

Abstract

Climate change and human manipulation in peatlands threatens peatland health, presaging the loss of instrumental peatland functions including carbon sequestration or the bog body mummification function. In response, peatland ecologists are studying restoration methods to revive degenerating bogs, including the Rochefort Moss Layer Transfer Technique (MLTT). Since the advent of these studies, questions regarding the return of lost peatland functions have arisen. This study employed a qualitative experimental study of mammal soft tissue samples in a controlled incubatory environment mimicking an MLTT restored peatland to discern if the MLTT method induced the return of the bog body mummification function. The findings indicate that the function does appear to return, which crucially implies that restorative efforts in peatland ecology have a valid prospect with promising returns, therefore this field is worthwhile to continue because this study shows that it is possible to save peatlands and their functions, further permitting the archaeological community to save the artifacts found in peatlands.