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What's the problem?

New legal opinion reveals obstacles

26/06/2024 With their vegetation and soils, terrestrial ecosystems such as intact peatlands, floodplains and forests are valuable carbon reservoirs and sinks. However, rapid restoration often fails due to legal obstacles. The new report "Legal issues in connection with the rewetting of peatlands" in the GMC publication series provides a comprehensive analysis and shows possible solutions for the implementation of peatland climate protection. The rewetting of peatlands and their sustainable wet use, paludiculture, play a major role in natural climate protection. There are particular obstacles in terms of land availability, planning and approval. The German government's Natural Climate Protection Action Program aims to protect and strengthen these endangered ecosystems - and to understand and remove the obstacles that stand in the way of restoring these valuable areas. The new legal opinion by Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlacke and Prof. Dr. Michael Sauthoff makes an important contribution to this. It was drawn up as part of the MoKKa - Moorland Climate Protection through Capacity Building project, in which the Succow Foundation, the University of Greifswald and the Baltic Sea Foundation are working together. The results of the report will be presented today at the "Fachforum: Natürlichen Klimaschutz beschleunigen - Rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen verbessern", jointly organized with the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt in Berlin. The possibilities for implementing the legal policy recommendations will also be discussed.