News/All pieces
Out now: Peatland Atlas
The first ever - hot off the press and online
10/01/2023 Peatlands are not scary, they are incredibly important - the fight against the climate crisis, biodiversity conservation and simply for all of us. This is still known far too little. With the Peatland Atlas - Facts and Figures on Wet Climate Protectors, the publishers Heinrich Böll Foundation, Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and the Michael Succow Foundation, partners in the Greifswald Mire Centre, are working to change that. On Tuesday 10th January, they will present the Peatland Atlas in a press conference in Berlin and online.
On 50 pages and with 52 illustrations, the Peatland Atlas 2023 not only highlights the history of peatlands, their importance as unique habitats for the global climate and biodiversity, and their destruction with local and global consequences. It also explains how we can protect peatlands and restore their functionality. It shows the potentials of wet peatlands for climate protection and opportunities for their wet use, paludiculture, and at the same time how politics and society can act now.
Paludiculture: How to and with what plants?
Two new GMC publications show it
20/12/2022 You happen to have a peatland where you want to implement paludiculture, but don't know how? Convert an entire farm to "wet" agriculture - how can that be done? Or - you might be looking for the biomass from wet land for new products? For questions like these, the new Guide to Implementing Paludiculture (German only) within the GMC proceedings offers information. It aims at land managers, landowners, project sponsors, water and soil associations, government agencies, agricultural advisors, research institutions, and potential utilization companies. The guide covers five areas: Site suitability, planning and permitting for conversting sites to paludiculture, practical tips for establishment and management of sites, as well as utilisation of the biomass produced and support - including examples of implementation.
The publication Potential Paludiculture Plants of the Holarctic (English only) presents which plants are suitable for paludiculture in the Holarctic. In 440 pages, There are profiles of 95 plant species from the Database of Potential Paludiculture Plants (DPPP). Most are promising for sustainable wet land use on peatlands. Some might be considered critically since the paludiculture potential finds its limits, for example, in terms of new peat formation. In the plant portraits, comprehensive information has been compiled on the characterisation of the species, site requirements, cultivation as well as possible uses of the plant.
Why peatlands matter in 74 min and 4 chapters
New: Online course by ZEITAkademie and GMC
8/12/2022 Peatlands as a multi-talent for climate, humans and nature – that seemed a sufficiently “burning” topic to ZEIT Akademie. In cooperation with the Greifswald Mire Centre th education provider produced an online course Peatlands as environmental protectors. It has four chapters and 74 minutes. Starring: Prof. Hans Joosten, scientist and one of the GMC’s founders, who has been awarded the German Environmental Prize in 2021 and the Federal Cross of Merit in 2022. He explains the basics on peatlands. Dr. Franziska Tanneberger describes why drained peatlands harm the climate and why we need peatland protection. The studied landscape ecologist and one of the two directors of the GMC is always in action for peatlands -from field work to world climate summits. Henning Voigt, an agricultural pioneer on peatland, takes the participants with him on his rewetted areas and tinkerer Torsten Galke invites to visit in the Paludiculture Tiny House. Dr. Johannes Merck of Michael Otto Environmental Foundation reports that even large companies do trecognise the economic potential in peatlands today. To develop a climate-friendly use of wet and rewetted areasareas is part of the toMOORow initiative, which promotes peatland rewetting as a nature-based solution to the climate crisis and species extinction, as well as an example of sustainable regional creation of added value through paludiculture.
According to its own information, ZEIT Akademie works with the best experts in their respective fields, such as the climate scientist Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf. An important argument for the two GMC scientists. "For today's challenges, science must not remain in the ivory tower. We want to teach peatlands in a non-university context as well." says Franziska Tanneberger "Of course, the quality must not be lost in and the subject must not suffer due to severe briefness. In this course, that can be combined." Another consideration: The ZEITAkademie's offerings are aimed at private individuals, but primarily at companies for in-house training. A good opportunity to foster a change in a wider public perception of peatlands - because peatlands are not scary, but incredibly important - for all of us.
Global Peatland Assessment
Thur 17th Nov at COP27/Sharm el-Sheikh
16/11/2022 A first comprehensive assessment of global peatlands will be presented in an official side event State of the Worlds Peatlands – Global Peatlands Assessment: Evidence for action toward peatlands conservation at the World Climate Summit COP27 at 17th November 2022 from 13:15-14:45 (GMT+2). The assessment includes an updated version of the Global Peatland Map compiled by the Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC) and provides latest science on peatland distribution, trends, and pressures. Most importantly, it recommends actions for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of peatlands, in particular for climate protection and adaptation to climate change.
At the side event, the GPA’s input information, spatial data generation, collation approaches, and the current gaps in coverage and resolution are presented in detail.
In a global context of the UNEA-4 Resolution on the “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands” the assessment might be a step towards a future Global Peatlands Inventory.
The side event is organised by Succow Foundation (MSF)/Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC) in cooperation with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI) and UNEP-WCMC together with the Convention on Wetlands.
Many peatlands, but there's room for more
Action Programme for Natural Climate Protection
28/10/2022 Peatland protection as a nature-based solution for effective climate protection is extensively considered in the Action Programme Natural Climate Protection (ANK), states the Greifswald Mire Centre in contributing to the German Environmental Ministry's online dialogue on this programme. But there is still some room for improvement. Here is a summary of the most important points:
- The target of 5 million t CO2 eq. annual reduction from peatlands by 2030, which is also set in the Peatland Protection Strategy, is still too low. This is less than 10% of the current annual peatland emissions of 53 million t CO2.
- The framing should change. Germany's peatlands are currently predominantly (85%) used for agriculture or forestry. The term "renaturation" suggests a natural development unaffected by humans after rewetting and the possibility of returning the peatlands to their former condition. In Germany, neither of these is possible. Therefore, the terms "rewetting" and "restoration" are more appropriate. These formulations express that the ANK also includes new, sustainable uses for peatlands.
- The ANK can educate more people about peatlands and build long-term structures at federal, state and municipal level. In addition to voluntary measures, it should also make adjustments to planning and regulatory law, thus enabling common engagement of participating authorities at work level for a comprehensive landscape assessment.
MoorWissen revamped
Fresh colours, fresh information
24/10/2022
More MoorWissen and more beautiful - that's what our platform moorwissen.de now offers. We have thoroughly overhauled it, redesigned it and added new information. We want to offer appropriate information on peatlands and their importance for climate protection and biodiversity - ranging from small explanatory films to scientific studies - to people from laypersons to scientists.
The section MoorWissen Summary offers a quick start. Supplementary to the brief explanations, there is an info cluster each on peatland in research, in practice and in politics. Here and on other pages, tile elements enable users to navigate in addition to the drop down menu.
Detailed information can be found under Projects & best practise examples that the partners in the Greifswald Mire Center have carried out so far. Both can now be found in one overview. There is a total of 40 projects, most of them with a duration of several years - quite remarkable, in our opinion.
New is a section on Moorpädagogik (German only), dealing with the mediation of peatlands and climate protection pedagogically, and the section Moore & Kunst (German only). From experimenting with biomass from peatlands, to exhibitions, workshops, residencies, poetry and finally this year's Peatland Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale - it's worth scrolling through these creative projects.
An entire section is dedicated to paludiculture, divided and assorted to paludiculture on bogs and fens. It also includes tools such as a climate protection calculator for drained areas.
Also, now on MoorWissen: an event calendar, our newsletter subscription and social media channels. But, there is one fly in the ointment, to be honest. There is still a lot do for presenting the entire page in English, but we are working on it. We are happy to receive feedback and other suggestions about our revamped MoorWissen-Webpage via email to communication@greifswaldmoor.de !
Duly awarded!
Federal Order of Merit for Hans Joosten
27/9/2022 Professor Hans Joosten from Greifswald will receive the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on 30th September for his research on and his personal commitment to peatlands and climate protection. Matching the slogan "Building Bridges", Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will honour the peatland scientist and further 20 persons on the occasion of the Day of German Unity at Bellevue Palace which is celebrated on the 3rd October. According to the Office of the Federal President, the eleven women and ten men are making an outstanding contribution to finding solutions to the global challenges of our time, such as the war against Ukraine, the Corona pandemic, poverty reduction, migration and climate change, as well as to strengthening cohesion in our country.
Regarding the award for the native Dutchman, it says: "Thanks to Hans Joosten, it is known today: drained peatlands are climate killers, "rewetted" ones are climate savers. The biologist is a pioneer in the search for ways to protect the climate. At the University of Greifswald, he co-founded the Greifswald Mire Centre, one of the world's most sought-after research centres for climate protection. However, Hans Joosten has not left it at scientific research on the relevance of peatlands for the climate. He has shown practical ways to use the areas for agriculture again and in the process coined a whole new discipline, "paludiculture". Beyond his scientific work, he has always been involved in political debates, because climate protection needs everyone's action."
Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Joosten had already met last year at an award ceremony. The Federal President had presented the scientist with the German Environmental Award 2021 of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU).
"The Mouse" exploring peatland
About cow burps, smacking soil and sour cucumbers
17/8/2022 "The Mouse" was here! During this summer, the children's programme took a close look at climate issues – and among other places also in a peatland. The scientists of the Greifswald Mire Centre told “The Mouse” why peatlands are drained, peat is extracted and why farming on these soils is bad for the climate - especially when cows graze on them. Clarissa, Ralph and Johannes explain what pickled cucumbers and peatlands have in common, why a man on snowshoes is remote-controlling a "lawnmower" and why the ground is smacking. You may find the programme "Sendung mit der Maus" of Sunday 21 August in the ARD media library.
Summer … time for travels
Visiting: MEPs, MdBs, MdLs, Profs, CEOs...
1/9/2022 Summer time is... travel time... that was clearly to be noticed at the Greifswald Mire Centre. Numerous visitors almost turned the door handle one after another in July and August. Interest in peatlands is growing in politics, business and climate research, and we are happy to support it.
The youngest MEP Delara Burkhard (Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, S&D) and her colleague MEP Jutta Paulus (Die Grünen/EFA) asked at the GMC how peatland protection could be promoted at European level. Ricarda Lang, member of the Bundestag MdB (Federal Chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), stopped in the Hanseatic city during her summer trip to find out more about peatland research and innovative use and to discuss what federal politics could do for more climate protection through peatland protection. Her colleague in the Bundestag, Anna Kasautzki (SPD), was equally interested. As a MdB for the constituencies of Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald, she is already familiar with the GMC and had herself updated on site. After a peatland excursion near Greifswald, the member of the state parliament (Mitglied des Landtages, MdL) Hannes Damm (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen MV) organized a public discussion in the city with the participation of the GMC on rewetted peatlands and their possible use. The Lower Saxony state parliamentary group from Bündnis 90/Die Grünen paid a visit with MdL Miriam Staudte to the test area for peat moss paludiculture near Oldenburg.
Climate researcher Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has peat (German: Torf) in his name and mires in mind. During his visit to the GMC, he also found out how rewetting and paludiculture can help to combat the climate crisis.
Parallels of full-bodied drinks could be discovered during a visit from the Störtebeker Braumanufaktur. Peat and whisky seem almost old school as a pair now. Paludiculture and beer - this combination offers completely new possibilities, as it turned out in the conversation. Materials from paludiculture are also of interest in the textile industry. So the Scottish company Saltyco® contacted the GMC and came to visit. Reducing and replacing the use of peat in horticulture is a concern at Gramoflor. Here, too, there are promising approaches using paludiculture biomass, which were discussed together with the GMC.
No more delay in EU restoration law
EU Nature Restoration Law must come now
9/6/2022 Nature-based climate protection through the restoration of ecosystems, for example peatlands, offers an outstanding opportunity to combat the unabatedly progressing climate and biodiversity crisis - and an opportunity that must not be squandered. However, the EU Commission has repeatedly postponed the binding EU Nature Restoration Law, which was actually planned for the end of 2021 - first to March 2022. Now it is to be published on 22nd June 2022. In an open letter to the Commission, a network of more than 60 organisations from environmental protection, nature conservation, science and agriculture, coordinated by the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG), is therefore calling for a "law now". In the EU, however, more than 50% of peatlands are in poor condition, they release large amounts of greenhouse gases as well as nitrates due to drainage, and more and more peatland animals and plants are being lost due to habitat destruction. Rewetting peatlands just offers massive improvement - and in many cases these areas can still be used for agriculture and forestry! With paludiculture, i.e. "wet agriculture and forestry", which has recently also become part of European agricultural policy, value creation, bioeconomy and circular economy can be developed in peatland-rich rural areas. In order to draw attention to the great importance of peatlands and to emphasise the need for ambitious rewetting and restoration of peatlands in the new EU Nature Restoration Law - and not to remove them from it, as is feared - a broad network of more than 60 organisations from environmental protection, nature conservation, science and agriculture has today addressed an urgent appeal to the EU Commission. They demand to defend the success of the EU Green Deal in the EU Nature Restoration Act and to push for an ambitious policy for the rewetting of drained peatlands in Europe. To achieve the climate change targets of the Paris Agreement and the EU Climate Change Act, a transformation pathway for all peatlands in the EU should lead to net CO2 emissions by 2050. The EU should take the lead in the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration and achieve ambitious biodiversity targets at the upcoming Biodiversity Convention conference in Kunming, China.