Discussions on\npeatland protection, restoration and the phase out of peat extraction are\nspreading like wild fire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the Paris\nAgreement in 2015, where governments committed to achieving carbon neutrality\nby 2050, policy-makers have been busy with questions of how to best reach this\ngoal. In this new context, peatland ecosystems are increasingly being\nrecognised as a crucial component in national strategies to mitigate climate crisis\nand achieve the Paris Agreement goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
LIFE Peat Restore (https:\/\/life-peat-restore.eu\/en\/project\/<\/a>), an international\npeatland restoration project coordinated by NABU, hopes to contribute to the\ndiscussions and raise awareness to the important role peatlands play in the\nmitigation of climate crisis through the promotion of workshops and panel\ndiscussions. Additionally, the project is actively contributing to this goal by\nrestoring 5,300 ha of degraded peatlands across five northern European\ncountries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peatlands and climate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Within the context of\nclimate crisis mitigation, the main reasons behind the growing relevance of\npeatlands lie in its unique capacity to store significant amounts of carbon for\nindefinite time, in its natural state; or to become a significant source of greenhouse\ngas (GHG) emissions when degraded. In fact, drained peatlands are GHG emissions\nhotspots; one hectare of drained peatlands emits six tonnes and more of CO2 for\neach year that it remains dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, peatland\nprotection and restoration is a highly efficient mitigation measure, since a\nrelatively small area of peatland can have a great mitigation impact.\nUndoubtedly, it is an inexpensive and effective mitigation measure for\nGovernments to undertake. For example, as the IPCC Special Report on Land Use\nhighlights (see our article on it https:\/\/life-peat-restore.eu\/en\/life-peat-restore-and-the-special-report-from-the-international-panel-on-climate-change\/<\/a>), the protection of\nhealthy peatland areas delivers immediate and effective results, by keeping\ncarbon stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to findings\nfrom the Report, afforestation or reforestation does not continue to sequester carbon indefinitely; in contrast, peatlands can continue to\nsequester carbon for centuries. Moreover, among the carbon rich ecosystem,\npeatlands store around 26% to 44% of estimated global soil organic carbon, while only\ncovering 3-4 % of the Earth\u2019s land area. They are such carbon-dense ecosystems\nthat degraded peatlands (0.3% of the terrestrial land) are responsible for a\ndisproportional 5% of global anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peatland restoration is an efficient and effective climate crisis mitigation tool at the disposal of governments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Such unique ecosystem\nfeatures explains why the IPCC Report identifies the reduction of peatland drainage and restoration of drained peatlands as\npriority actions areas, as they offer the most mitigation potential, along with\nother social and environmental benefits. However, immediate action should be\ntaken, as: \u201cSome response options will not be possible if action is delayed too\nlong; for example, peatland restoration might not be possible after certain\nthresholds of degradation have been exceeded\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany and peatlands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Already, 10% of the\nEuropean peatlands have been lost irreversibly, with of the remaining 44% being\ndegraded. In Germany, the figure ascends to 95% of degraded peatlands. Considering\nthese discouraging figures as well as the growing pressures stemming from\nclimate crisis, large-scale restoration of peatlands in Germany and Europe is\nurgently needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the Federal\nGovernment recognised the need to safeguard and restore\npeatland functions as well as progressively reduce peat use (e.g. in the Climate Action Plan 2050 from\n2016, https:\/\/www.bmu.de\/fileadmin\/Daten_BMU\/Pools\/Broschueren\/klimaschutzplan_2050_en_bf.pdf<\/a>) or in the National Strategy on Biological Diversity(https:\/\/www.bfn.de\/en\/activities\/biodiversity\/national-biodiversity-strategy.html<\/a>), as early as 2007); not enough has been achieved and progress is too slow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to achieve a\nmeaningful reduction of GHG emissions on the path to carbon neutrality until\n2050, the restoration of degraded peatlands must be implemented at a national\nscale. It is imperative that policy-makers prioritise this action, as it\nrequires immediate action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mentioning also\npeatlands as significant carbon sinks, you find here the demands of NABU to the\nCOP25 in Madrid (https:\/\/www.nabu.de\/imperia\/md\/content\/nabude\/klimaschutz\/191209_nabu-hintergrund_cop25_final.pdf<\/a>) and in alliance\nwith more than 60 other organisations of the German civil society to the German\nGovernment (https:\/\/www.klima-allianz.de\/publikationen\/publikation\/mp2030\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany and peat extraction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays in Germany,\nnearly all peat extracted is destined for horticultural uses \u2013 around 50% for\nprofessional and 50% for private gardeners. However, peat extraction is not sustainable; peat grows at an incredibly slow pace\n(only 1 mm a year!) and cannot keep up with the intense rate of peat\nextraction. Indeed, according to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, \u201cif extraction goes on at the current rate, the\npeat stocks approved for extraction in Germany will be used up in ten years at\nthe latest\u201d. There are already viable alternatives to peat. Countries that had little peatland from the outset have long used other\nmedia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In recognition of the need to stop peat extraction, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) have developed a Peat Reduction Strategy. Although the plan seeks to\ngradually reduce peat extraction and eventually phase out its extraction\naltogether; there is no binding schedule for peat reduction. The strategy is\nnot ambitious enough and does not reflect the urgent need to take action;\nmoreover, it follows a mainly voluntary principle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany should take a leading role within the European Union formulating\nand adopting a national peat phase-out strategy. Switzerland and the United Kingdom have already adopted official peat\nphase-out strategies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"