Learning more about peatlands, especially in our own surroundings, may be attractive and helps to understand the environment where we live. LIFE Peat Restore provided a less traditional way of learning peatlands in Engure area in Latvia, in one of the project areas. The focus group was youngsters who live in nearby areas – Mērsrags … read more
In 2020, the work on documentaries on peatlands and their climate is ongoing. Filming started already in 2017 in Poland, then also in Lithuania and Latvia, as well as materials from Estonia and Germany will be used. The focus of the films will be broader than the borders of one country, it will include the … read more
Last week, we started survey of the peat deposit in Suursoo project area using georadar. Georadar is a high-tech apparatus used in geophysics, where the image of the internal structure of the soil is displayed using the pulses of radio waves. In other words, radar allows us to see underground. In the peat deposits of … read more
In mid-July after the bird breeding season, water regime restoration works begun in the Estonian project area in Suursoo. The restoration will reduce the draining effect of ditches that have been built in the area for long time, extending to around 46 km. Mostly, peat dams will be built on the ditches. Two ditches (Kaldemäe … read more
The technical designs of the dam construction in the LIFE Peat Restore project areas in Latvia are completed and agreed with the responsible authorities. In August, after the bird breeding period the earth work to block the drainage ditches will be done in all project areas – Engure, Augstroze and Baltezers Mire. Before starting the … read more
The LIFE Peat Restore experts from University of Latvia have prepared three new, colourful brochures about the project areas – Augstroze Nature Reserve, Baltezers Mire Nature Reserve and Engure Lake Nature Park, all located in Latvia. The brochures will be useful for those who want to get familiar with these prominent peatland areas, to learn … read more
RE-PEAT is a new European-based, youth-led group pushing for a shift in how we think about, use, and imagine peatlands. They have organised a 24-hour, global and online festival called Peat Fest to celebrate World Peatland Day. The online format of the festival has allowed a much more global conversation, including sessions from all over … read more
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives and our work in a very short time. Many events had to be cancelled or postponed. The LIFE Peat Restore Project is also not spared from the restrictions. Nevertheless we are not idle and want to continue to share our knowledge and enthusiasm for peatlands with the general … read more
Situated in Estonia, the earlier alkaline fen Läänemaa-Suursoo (over 3400 ha), as autonomous part of the Suursoo-Leidissoo mire complex (over 23 000 ha), was drained in the 1880s. Shallow streams were straightened and cut deeper – becoming ditches – to remove water from the area and allow mowing of hay. During that period milk production … read more
A consortium of 23 organisations have recently published a Policy Brief calling on the preservation and improved management of peatlands in the EU’s post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). According to the paper, “To facilitate the new environmental ambitions of the Post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy and to create coherence between agricultural and climate policies, CAP must … read more
