News/All pieces

Integrate peatlands into EU policies

Workshop on better solutions to manage peatlands in the EU framework

23/04/2016  A few months after conclusion of the Paris agreement on Climate Change, a workshop in Brussels on 19th April 2016 addressesd the importance of peatlands and organic soils in the European Union and its Member States for biodiversity and climate change. “Peatland ecosystems are still suffering from the Cinderella syndrome” Professor Hans Joosten (Greifswald University) stated. “They contain disproportionally more organic carbon than all other terrestrial ecosystems and emit enormous amounts of CO2 when drained.” Furthermore, they provide habitats for specially adapted and rare species strictly protected by the EU’s bird and habitat directives. And yet, when it comes to policymaking – climate policymaking, in particular – peatlands remain largely out of sight. This leads to poor protection and conservation.
Within the project Peatlands in the EU Regulatory Environment the Michael Succow Foundation, Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC), and Silvestrum have assessed the impact of EU law — on the environment, agriculture, and energy — on peatlands and organic soils in Member States, with special emphasis on case studies for Poland and Estonia. They brought together senior officers from the EU Commission, Member States’ governments, NGOs, research institutes and cooperates to call for joint action to better integrate peatland management and conservation into EU policies as instruments to improve their status across Member States.

A tonne of Typha

Insulation from the wetland next door

31/03/2016  Using cattail (Typha) from the area next door as insulation for housing is a showcase for paludiculture currently pursued near Anklam (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). That’s why the recent cattail harvest there was enthusiastically supported by GMC coworkers. In the end twenty big bags were stuffed to the brim. About a tonne of dry Typha biomass was the result of harvesting about half a hectare of peatland. This paludiculture flagship project was initiated by the Dutchman Aldert van Weeren. An entrepreneur in nature tourism he is currently turning an old country house into a holiday destination for nature lovers using mostly ecological building material. The passionate ornithologist and tour guide is particularly happy that the Typha from next door does not only provide local and renewable building material but also reflects nature conservation by peatland rewetting. Currently the Typha biomass is being processed for cavity wall insulation by a small factory in Prenzlau.

Watch the wet

Youtube-video on peatlands and their potential for climate protection

1/12/2015   Draining a peatland area the size of a football field releases as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as driving three times around the world in an average sized car. Learn more about peatlands as carbon sinks, threats to their carbon storage function by drainage and promising examples of rewetting in the youtube-video “Peatlands – climate regulation and biodiversity“ by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Wetland Energy Closing Conference

New pelletline on the ground, new paludiculture-projects in mind

17/11/2015   Surely, the highlight of the EUaid funded Wetland Energy project's closing conference from 17th-18th November in Minsk/Belarus was the opening of the new processing line for pellets made of biomass from fens at Lida. It proved, that the project, which was mainly coordinated by the Michael Succow Foundation, successfully transferred knowledge and resulted in implementation on the ground. Here the conference's "Conclusions and perspectives" click here for the programme of the closing conference. Ahead of the conference the project held a workshop on "Biomass harvest and greenhouse gas balance of wet and rewetted fen peatlands". For an article on the project and its closing conference go to Настаўніцкая газета (Belarussian only).

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