News/All pieces
Peatlands & Brazil
New briefing paper and perspective for "peatland breakthrough" at COP30
22/11/24 As UNFCCC COP29 is ending in Baku, Azerbaijan, preparations are gathering pace for the next COP – which will take place in Brazil. Scientists are already now pointing out the little-noticed but huge climate potential of the peatlands of Brazil. The country’s most carbon dense ecosystem is nearly unprotected and tremendously threatened by large scale agriculture and deforestation, a new briefing paper by the Greifswald Mire Centre and partners finds.
In Brazil there are 17,000 km² covered with peat and another 209,000 km² with peat occurring in patches. These peatlands are distributed in Amazonia, the Cerrado savanna, the coastal areas plus in mountainous areas and highlands. Clearly, the Brazilian Amazonia, e.g. the Rio Negro basin and along river valleys, is Brazil's peatland hotspot.
The United Nations Environmental Agency (UNEP) estimates their carbon stock in peatlands is 39 Gt. It also assumes 3,540 km² of organic soils currently to be under land use, causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of at least 18 Mt CO2-e. Scientists suspect this number to be an understimation. Brazil's peatlands also serve as water buffer which is severly needed for the dry season and prevention of wildfires.
However, Brazil does not report carbon emissions from land use on organic soils to the UNFCCC. Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from e.g. peatland drainage, drought, peat fires, from agriculture and urban encroachment remain unaccounted for. Also, wetland protection in general is currently excluded from the most important Brazilian nature conservation law, the federal Brazilian Native Vegetation Protection (LPVN) Law (12,651, May 2012). Thus, activities with negative impacts such as cattle grazing and extraction of water for domestic purposes remain allowed in wetlands.
"Brazil’s peatlands are virtually not recognized nor protected, and seriously threatened by industrial scale agriculture, like soy and cattle production, deforestation and climate change. We urgently need to better understand and protect peatlands in Brazil.” says Felix Beer, one of the authors of the new briefing paper.
Since peatlands are spread over incredibly vast areas and peatland science is a rather young discipline in Brazil, the extent of peatlands there is subject to large uncertainties. There is a tremendous need to increase monitoring efforts, legal protection, conservation measures and to close knowledge gaps etc.. Alexandre Christofaro Silva, Professor of Forest Engineering at the Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri valley, demands: “The conservation of Brazilian peatlands is essential not only for traditional people and regional communities, but to humanity. At COP30 even in Brazil we need to have them on the agenda, and fight to stop their anthropization (fire, drainage, pasture) as we fight to stop cutting Amazonian rain forests.”
In respect to next year's climate summit, Cinthia Soto Golcher, responsible for Climate Change Advocacy at Wetlands International, states: “To reach the Paris Agreement goals on mitigation and adaptation, drained peatlands must be restored and rewetted. This cannot be achieved by only a few actors, but needs the mobilization of national and international stakeholders and resources. Hence, we view COP 30 in Brazil as a historic opportunity -and responsibility- for the international community to advance a significant and transformative chapter for peatlands in which they are seriously considered as part of the path towards a resilient 1,5C planet by 2050.”
Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas
Launch & call to action at COP29
21/11/24 Brandnew, incredibly informative and well designed: the new Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas launched in a peatland side event Side Event at the climate summit COP29 in Baku today! It presents the most up-to-date data on world’s peatlands in a Global Peatland Map 2.0 visualizing global threats and opportunities for peatlands.
That’s new:
- regional maps on all six continents
- thematic maps on biodiversity, permafrost, water supply and more
- maps on degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, peatland use, environmental risks etc
This Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas is a call to action to place peatlands at the heart of the global environmental agenda! It enables decision makers to scope potential regions for conservation, restoration, and sustainable management, since time to act is now.
The Atlas was issued by UNEP as a product of the Global Peatlands Initiative with maps of the Greifswald Mire Centre.
4th RRR-conference in Sept 2025
First info on programme, speakers, excursions...
20/11/24 Jointly organised by Greifswald Mire Centre and Thünen Institute the 4th RRR Conference "Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatlands" will take place in Greifswald from 23rd – 26th September 2025.
Rewetting peatlands and sustainable land-use concepts are key to tackling climate change. To advance peatland solutions the 4th RRR Conference aims to converge science and practice and invites scientists, landowners and land users, as well as people from administration, business, arts and design, policy and conservation, and other interested people.
Join us to take a look and celebrate 25 years of paludiculture advancements and to dive into topics like governance, biodiversity, biomass utilisation, and photovoltaics on rewetted peatlands Participate in workshops, poster sessions and exhibitions. An entire afternoon is dedicated to highlight practical experiences. Thus, contractors, manufacturers, and other stakeholders, will have the opportunitiy to showcase their products in an exhibition and to present their projects in pitches on a stage
In addition, excursions will lead to a Typha farming site in the Peene valley, a coastal flood peatland restoration with grazing (Karrendorfer Wiesen) and to buffalo grazing in coastal peatlands (Darss peninsula) - all three sites are located in Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania. An excursion on Sphagnum paludiculture is destined to Hankhauser Moor in Lower Saxony.
Registration will be possible from beginning of 2025 und abstracts may submitted until 31.st May 2025. You may find all information in detail on the RRR-conference website.
If you would like to contribute by offering a workshop or showcasing your project at the exhibition you my contact info@rrr2025.com.
Peatland sound & light
Vernissage EIN:FLUSS:RAUM:MOOR
30/10/24 EIN:FLUSS:RAUM:MOOR, the joint exhibition by MONAS-Collective and Greifswald Mire Centre, can be seen from 31st October -7th December 2025 in Spielhalle Kunst at Greifswald. It reflects peatlands in sound and light artwork inspired by Caspar David Friedrich and his fascination with landscape. In the painter's anniversary year, this exhibition invites visitors to experience beauty and significance of peatland landscapes in an unusual way - in a combination of climate data, audio recordings, light projections and exhibits.
The artists captured peatland sound using soil microphones at Kieshofer Moor and Karrendorfer Wiesen, both close to Greifswald. Together with data from greenhouse gas measurements by GMC scientists, these are converted into light pulses. The visitors themselves influence this system, as the installation also measures CO2 values in the room in real time.
The fusion of sound, image and sculpture can be experienced free of charge from Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm.
There are several side events, all free of charge, accompanying the exhibition:
- 9th November at 2 pm: a free guided tour through the exhibition
- 19th November at 5 pm: How to communicate peatland and climate protection? Students of landscape ecology at the University of Greifswald present ideas in unusual formats. Music, pantomime, theatre - come around an let yourself be surprised at Spielhalle Kunst.
- 23rd November at 1 pm: a finissage-peatland walk combined with a final guided tour through the exhibition by the Caspar David Friedrich Anniversary Office
Paludiculture in Ukraine
New compendium by UNDP with expertise from Greifswald
14/10/24 Northern Ukraine became the focal point of an ambitious project aimed at peatland restoration and climate protection. The Michael Succow Foundation (MSF), partner in Greifswald Mire Centre, jointed the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP) to provide expert support on paludiculture for the project “Promoting sustainable livestock management and ecosystem conservation in Northern Ukraine” funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the FOLUR platform (The Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Programme).
The project aims to transform 3 million hectares of land into a model for ecologically conscious agriculture, with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing soil fertility, and protecting endangered species. It embraces paludiculture, a sustainable form of wetland farming designed to reduce carbon emissions by rewetting and cultivating peatlands. Wendelin Wichtmann (Michael Succow Sitftung) was commissioned to assess its feasibility in Ukraine, with Olga Denyshchyk securing alignment with Ukrainian conditions. Their work included conducting a comprehensive desk study and producing a compendium of findings, which was made available in Ukrainian.
The compendium is intended for farmers, representatives of local communities, the scientific community, and civil society. Its purpose is to provide a scientific basis for the implementation of internationally recognized environmentally-oriented agricultural practices, particularly on wet peatlands, adapted to the unique conditions of Ukraine. The compendium also provides recommendations for the application of paludiculture practices on restored peatlands, combining environmentally-oriented solutions with economic efficiency.This is the first collection in Ukraine that contains scientific information about paludiculture a sustainable land-use method, already being implemented in European Union member states.
Invitation of the MoKKa project
Closing conference at 7th Nov at Schwerin
114/10/24 Germany’s peatlands are key to achieving our climate goals, but are we doing enough? As the final event of the MoKKa project approaches, the pressing question remains: How can we mobilize more stakeholders for effective peatland climate protection? On November 7th in Schwerin, this conference will bring together experts and decision-makers to explore innovative solutions and forge new paths forward. Currently, only 2,000 hectares of peatland are rewetted annually in Germany—an effort that falls far short of the 50,000 hectares per year required to meet climate targets. This gap highlights the need for immediate and extensive action. We must accelerate permitting processes, expand training programs for professionals, and engage the public in supporting peatland restoration as a vital tool for climate mitigation.The conference will focus on the following topics:
- Accelerating planning and permitting processes, improving land availability
• Building support structures
• Promoting peat formation – when and how?
• Climate education on peatland climate protection with the Peatland Suitcase (Moorkoffer)
The program offers ample space for exchange and discussions on solutions and past experiences. Among the speakers are Nathalie Niederdrenk (BMUV), Prof. Sabine Schlacke (University of Greifswald), Almut Mrotzek (Mooragentur MV), and Tom Kirschey (Competence Center for Natural Climate Protection). The conference, jointly organized by the Michael Succow Foundation, the University of Greifswald, and the Nature Conservation Foundation Deutsche Ostsee, addresses professionals, multipliers, and decision-makers in administration, business, education, and politics, as well as all those interested in peatland climate protection. Register by October 25th, 2024.
The MoKKa Project is fundedthe Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is supporting the partners at the Greifswald Moor Centrum (University of Greifswald and Michael Succow Foundation) as well as the Nature Conservation Foundation Deutsche Ostsee (Ostseestiftung) from 2022 to 2024 through the National Climate Protection Initiative (NKI). The goal is to build capacity for the implementation of peatland climate protection in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and across Germany. More information can be found at www.mokka-projekt.de.
Climate-neutral building materials
An opportunity for peatlands?
8/10/24 Agora Agrar and Greifswald Mire Centre invite you to the expert discussion ‘Climate-neutral building materials - an opportunity for wet peatland use’ on 14th November 2024, 14:30 - 20:00 at the dbb Forum Berlin Friedrichstraße.
On the way to a climate-neutral economy, the demand for biomass as a substitute for fossil raw materials - for example for building materials - is increasing. Biomass from the cultivation of wet peatlands - known as paludiculture biomass - can meet part of this demand and open up economic prospects for farmers on rewetted peatland sites. This requires new value chains, as the cultivation and utilisation of paludiculture biomass is still in its infancy. This requires a suitable political framework. Not only agricultural and environmental policy, but also climate and economic policy are of great importance here. The event will address both the potential of paludiculture biomass for the construction industry and the political scope for action that can enable and promote new value chains for the material utilisation of paludiculture biomass in the construction sector.
Registration is now possible until 31 October 2024 on this website: www.agora-agrar.de/aktuelles/klimaneutrale-baustoffe.
Peatlands & climate & Baltic coast
Restoration on 850 hectares by 2034
5/10/24 Twelve diked coastal polders between Rostock and the Polish Baltic Sea will be restored over the next ten years as part of the ‘Peatland Climate Protection on the Baltic Sea Coast’ project. One aim of the ANK model project is to significantly reduce the ongoing release of climate-damaging gases on these 850 hectares, up to 24,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Another aim is to establish climate-friendly land use. Last Friday, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke visited Bresewitz (district of Vorpommern-Rügen) to see the successfully renaturalised peatland areas on the coast. She handed over the grant notification for 27.8 million euros to the project managers Georg Nikelski (Baltic Sea Foundation), Professor Maren Voß (Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde/Marine Cycles) and Professor Gerald Jurasinski (University of Greifswald/Greifswald Mire Centre). The project is funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the funds are provided by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) in the Natural Climate Protection Action Programme (ANK). The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is contributing 2.3 million euros to the project.
Image: People from left: Prof Maren Voß, Georg Nikelski, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, Dr Balázs Baranyai (Baltic Sea Foundation), Minister Dr Till Backhaus, Prof Gerald Jurasinski (Photo: Andreas Krone.)
Paludiculture & Biodiv, Cardboard, Theatre
New newsletter
1/10/24 Paludiculture in combination with biodiversity, cardboard and theatre - these are just some of the topics covered in the current issue of our newsletter: A new information paper summarises experiences from Germany on how biodiversity develops on paludiculture areas. Sustainability manager Karla Jabben explains how and why OTTO GmbH has developed a shipping box partly made from paludiculture biomass. There is also an invitation in the newsletter: On the Day of German Unity on 3 October, the Greifswald Mire Centre and the University of Greifswald will be holding a Theatre & Talk in Schwerin to take a look at the history and future of peatland management - entertaining, free of charge and open to all.
We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and would be happy to receive feedback on it by e-mail to communication@greifswaldmoor.de.
New information paper on paludiculture and biodiversity
Everything important in brief
26/09/24 Compared to agriculture on drained peatland, paludiculture promotes biodiversity, as the new information paper of Eberswalde University of Sustainable Development, Peatland Science Centre and Greifswald Mire Centre summarizes. It’s clear: typical peatland and peatland-specific species have no habitat on drained peatland soils. If and which they have on cultivated rewetted areas, is meanwhile shown by studies in several areas. For example, the number of Red List species of birds has doubled within four years on a cattail cultivation area in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. On a peat moss cultivation area in Lower Saxony, the number of dragonfly species typical to bogs almost equals that of near-natural bogs in the area after nine years of observation.
After rewetting, wetness-loving and rare species are found where previously widespread species of moist or dry conditions dominated. The intensity of use, mowing and harvesting time have different effects on these species. The mowing of areas creates a more species-rich vegetation due to less litter, more light incidence and leaching. In winter, however, this causes a lack of host plants and winter refuges for some animal species. The information paper addresses both negative and positive aspects, as well as possible conflicts with nature conservation and accompanying measures that can promote biodiversity.