News

New legal opinion

for peatland-friendly water management

27/10/2025  Peatlands play a key role in climate protection, but their rewetting often fails or is complicated due to legal hurdles and regulatory frameworks. A new opinion paper entitled “Legal recommendations and interpretation of water law for peatland-friendly water management in Germany” prepared by Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlacke, analyzes how water law in Germany needs to be adapted, particularly for sustainable peatland use. The key message: peatland-friendly water management is essential for the preservation of peatlands as CO₂ reservoirs and for adaptation to climate change, and must therefore be promoted – especially in the federal states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The report contains recommendations for action by politicians and administrators to create legal certainty for land users and nature conservation.

The recommendations in the report are particularly relevant for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, as the Ministry of Agriculture has presented a draft amendment to the state water law, which is currently being discussed by the committees of the state parliament. This presents an opportunity to include provisions to facilitate procedures for peatland rewetting.

The report is aimed at decision-makers in politics, administration, and agriculture and shows concrete ways in which water law can better support peatland conservation measures. It is a publication of the GMC proceedings, developed in the MoKKA project by the University of Greifswald the Succow Foundation.