The International Peat Society says that it's estimated that about 3 percent of the world's land area is peatland, but much of what exists may not be recognized as such.

"Estimates of the world's peatland area vary considerably because of a lack of accurate data on the extent of peatlands," the society says in a video on its website. "This is due to the different criteria used to define peatlands and the lack of survey data."

In Ireland's famous peat bogs "All kinds of bodies have been found with their skin and organs intact." The remarkable preservation of human remains and artifacts is the result of "Sphagnum mosses, which come with preservatives built into their cell walls," 

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014...