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.  

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.

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).

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.

The Venice Agreement

Peatland-art combo with political effect

31/5/2022 Peatland and art are combined in an installation at this year's Venice Biennale. Artists and peatland scientists, including some of the Greifswald Mire Centre, have joined forces in a worldwide network. With an art installation and happening they want to achieve more for peatlands also politically.  Representatives from art, science, nature conservation, climate policy and indigenous peoples announced the Venice Agreement at the 59th Art Biennale in the lagoon city on World Peatland Day, 2nd June 2022. Following the term “Paris Agreement on climate protection”, the Venice Agreement shall point out, that the preservation and restoration of peatlands is crucial for climate and people on our planet. It was signed, among others, by the Greifswald peatland scientist Prof. Hans Joosten, winner of the German Environmental Award.  The agreement is part of the art initiative Turba Tol Hol-Hol Tol an its peat moss installation in the Chilean Pavilion at this year's Biennale. There, the international artist collective Ensayos has set up a peat moss lawn with a video installation for this purpose in one of the historic Venetian warehouse buildings. A fair share of support was given by the Greifswald Mire Centre and the company Moorkultur Ramsloh, which harvested the peat mosses on their research sites in Lower Saxony, Germany, and organised delivery to Venice. The pavillon’s visitors can now discover the peat mosses and the moist oscillating surface they form with all senses. The video sequences convey the fascination of the peatlands in sound and vision. Turba Tol Hol-Hol Tol is primarily dedicated to the peatlands of Patagonia and the indigenous population there. At the same time, it shows that the preservation of nature, including the peatlands, is in the interest of all present and future societies and that the destruction of nature to date can only be reversed globally through the joint efforts of many local initiatives

Jung&Naiv on peatlands&climate

Live on YouTube on May 6th

5/5/2022 Naive questions about peatlands and climate  Tilo Jung of Jung & Naiv will ask Dr. Franziska Tanneberger of the Greifswald Mire Centre tomorrow live on YouTube. Tune in starting at 5 p.m..  Jung&Naiv is already collecting input and questions on twitter @TiloJung and @JungNaiv.

What must happen now on peatlands! 

Conference "Peatland Protection is Climate Protection"

29/3/2022 Wet peatlands are natural climate protection! That’s what scientists of the Greifswald Mire Centre together with practitioners and partners clearly stated at yesterday's conference "Peatland Protection is Climate Protection" in front of 200 participants in Berlin and just as many viewers in the livestream. Up to seven percent of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions can be saved by rewetting drained peatlands. It therefore represents one of the most effective measures for the "Natural Climate Protection" action programme announced today by Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.  

"More crises must not be allowed to accumulate. Wet peatlands are natural climate protection and therefore rewetting is one of the most effective measures for it in Germany. That is why they play an important role in the new action programme budgeted at 4 billion Euros," said Federal Minister Lemke at the conference.   

The expertise exists. Scientists of the Greifswald Mire Centre and partners have researched the climate impact of wetlands and tested paludiculture together with farmers. Innovative entrepreneurs have developed regional and ecological products from it. Individual German states have issued carbon certificates from rewetting. Now it is a matter of implementing climate protection through peatland conservation large scale, as the conference showed. Representatives from nature conservation, agriculture and companies agree that political, administrative and financial framework conditions still need to be created.  

Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert, President of the German Nature Conservation Circle, described the rewetting of peatlands as a task for society as a whole, similar in dimension to the coal phase-out. In terms of climate protection, the clock showed five to twelve, while in terms of biodiversity it has already run out, he stated. If we still wanted to ensure food security, we now had to think differently and had no choice when it comes to peatland protection, Niebert said. This now be driven forward decisively and jointly.  

Bernhard Krüsken, Secretary General of the German Farmers' Association, considered the rewetting of peatlands to be a generational project, just as drainage had been. He thought it  important to involve everyone, to communicate honestly about the scope of the measures and to promote them in the long term. Land users must be offered alternatives and Paludi-PV, i.e. photovoltaics on rewetted moorland, could be a 'collateral benefit', Krüsken said. 

Accelerated Peatland Protection in Lower Saxony

The GMC supports the motion of B90/The Greens

15/3/2022 The GMC supports the motion of B90/Greens Yesterday, the Greifswald Mire Centre and other experts were invited to a hearing in the Environment Committee of the Lower Saxony Parliament to comment on the motion of the Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen parliamentary group "Peatland protection = species protection + climate protection" (Drs. 18/10170). Since Lower Saxony owns about 670,000 hectares of organic soils and is thus the German federal state richest in peatlands. The peatlands are predominantly used agriculturally, especially as grassland, and drained for this purpose. These areas thus cause high greenhouse gas emissions, which makes Lower Saxony frontrunner in terms of greenhouse gas emissions from organic soils among the federal states. Only rewetting can stopp these emissions. In the past 40 years, an average of 950 hectares of peatland per year have been rewetted, and the GMC calculates that 20,000 hectares per year need to be rewetted in order to achieve the Paris climate protection targets. In the GMC’s statement supports the motion of Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen in many points and explains further ones in order to substantially accelerate the peatland protection in Lower Saxony

3 kg, 544 pages - Germany's peatlands

Book launch 28th March in Berlin

3/3/2022 At 3 kg, the recently published book “Moore in Deutschland” is not only a heavyweight on the scale, but also in terms of content. It presents Germany's 115 most important peatlands on 544 pages and with 908 photographs. On Monday 28th March, the authors Prof. em. Dr. Michael Succow and Dr. Lebrecht Jeschke will present the book at 7 p.m. at the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Representation in Berlin. During the moderated discussion, co-authors Dr. Franziska Tanneberger and Dr. Greta Gaudig will also discuss the importance of peatlands for climate protection on the panel. During the day the conference “Peatland Protection is Climate Protection” is entirely dedicated to the same topic from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the State Representation of Lower Saxony in Berlin, which will also be offered via livestream.

To be improved significantly

Better protection of natural carbon stocks in the EU

20/2/2022 Twenty environmental organisations under the umbrella of the German Nature Conservation Ring (DNR), including the Succow Foundation, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, demand a better protection of natural carbon reservoirs and sinks - including peatlands - and to develop them in harmony with species and nature conservation. The critique is addressed to the Parliament and Council of the European Union. So far, the draft of the new Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation must be tightened up. Otherwise, the goal of climate neutrality at EU level by 2050 and at national level by 2045 at the latest cannot be achieved, the organisations stress.

They propose, among other things, to at least double the estimated target of storing 310 million tonnes of climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions by natural sinks.

Since sinks must sequester more carbon than sources release by 2035, reducing emissions from land use must also be an equivalent target, for example stopping peatland drainage and amplifying rewetting. The LULUCF Regulation must include the reporting of requirements for categories for forests, arable land, grassland and wetlands so that measures can be assessed and adjusted.

The EU Commission had presented its proposals for the amended LULUCF Regulation in mid-July this year as part of the "Fit for 55" climate package. This is intended to adapt the existing legislation to the new climate targets for 2030 and 2050. Now the EU Parliament and Council have to find and negotiate their positions in order to then bring about a legally binding decision. The Succow Foundation as a partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, together with many other organisations, will continue to campaign for ambitious and comprehensive targets.

On International Wetlands Day 2.2.2022

The bog side of Greifswald

27/1/2022 Salt pan, coal ditch, swinging soil and peat in your teeth - for the International Wetlands Day on 2 February, people at Greifswald can get to know the bog side of the city on their own. The new brochure “Peatlands near Greifswald” by the Greifswald Mire Centre and the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald offers two tours through this landscape, which is (mostly) not scary, but incredibly important for climate protection on our doorstep and worldwide. On a free guided tour starting at 4 p.m. in the Steinbecker Vorstadt polder peatland specialist Christina Lechtape and the municipal peatland manager Annie Wojatschke will explain why. The meeting point is the "An der Bleiche" pumping station near the harbour bridge. The brochure "Peatlands near Greifswald" is available as a download or for a nominal fee of one euro at the city information office, the city library and the Greifswald bookshops.

In the urban area of Greifswald there are approx. 472 ha of peatlands, which are mainly drained and cause approx. 7,600 t CO2-eq. per year. An enormous burden for the city's climate balance, but at the same time a great potential for reducing emissions. Greifswald has recognised this and last October hired Germany's first municipal peatland manager. That way, local peatlands can be revitalised with further positive effects for the surrounding area.

The 2nd February 2022 is not a date to be taken lightly - on the contrary: This year, World Wetlands Day (WWD) will be celebrated for the first time as an international day recognised by the United Nations. Since 1997, it has drawn attention to the importance of wetlands, including peatlands, every year on 2nd February. Back then in 1971 the Ramsar Convention was adopted, it is the international agreement to protect wetlands. However, since then, 35% of wetlands have been further destroyed by pollution, agriculture, overfishing, among other things. Wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests. Conservation and restoration actions urgently need to make up for the loss. "Wetlands Action for People and Nature" is therefore the motto of this year's WWD.