At the 5th International conference on the effect of fires on soil properties (FESP5), the potential impacts of and risks associated with burning vegetation in the Falklands were highlighted. In the paper presented, Jim McAdam, Rebecca Upson and Rodney Burton reviewed the peatlands of the Falklands and presented current estimates of peat extent, type and carbon storage potential. Recent climate change predictions were aligned with an overview of the practice of burning the pastures in spring to highlight concerns of the effect of fire on biodiversity and the carbon storage potential of these shallow, extensive peatlands.