08/07/2025  During an off-site cabinet meeting of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state government with representatives of the federal government at the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Representation in Berlin on July 7, 2026, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Minister President Manuela Schwesig presented the University of Greifswald with a grant notification for the expansion of peatland research. Since July 2026, the Federal Ministry for the Environment has been funding the research project with a total of approximately 14 million Euros. The funding lays the foundation for the further development of peatland research and the establishment of the Greifswald Mire Institute (GMI). For more information, see the press release of the Federal Ministry for the Environment  and the press release of the University of Greifswald.

06/07/2026 The Greifswald Mire Centre has published the second issue of the Paludiculture Newsletter this year. Out key topics featured in this edition include:

• Refreshing: Peatlands and Beer

• Dual climate benefit: Peatlands and Solar Power

• Debunking common misconceptions: Interview on mosquitoes and peatlands

Additional materials comprise a new fact sheet examining relationships of peatlands and water resources, information about the current workshop series for professionals an the aftermovie from conference RRR2025 is also accessible online.

Plus more topics and current dates in the event calendar.

We enjoy staying in touch with our readers. What topics would you like to see covered in the paludiculture newsletter? What feedback do you have for us? Feel free to email us at communication@greifswaldmoor.de.

The newsletter is provided by the PaludiZentrale project of Thünen Institut, Universität Greifswald and Succow foundation. It is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH) through the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR).

4/07/2026 With a strong triangular knowledge exchange: To achieve more for peatlands more than 100 participants at the recent 4th Meeting of the Partners of the Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI4) in Lima/Peru endeavoured to interlink

• field research in remote and difficult-to-access areas,
• decades of work with local communities
• growing experience with finance instruments and national policy processes

Indigenous Peoples and as well as government representatives of many countries shared their journeys towards integrating peatlands into national legal, planning and monitoring systems.
But - with traditional dances from Peru and the wonderful cultural performance by musicians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the meeting  made a pivotal point: There’s a rich cultural dimension to peatlands – they will not be saved by science facts alone, but also by art, emotion and love.

Members of Greifswald Mire Centre shared work on:

• peatland science products, including the Global Peatland Map, Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas and the Peatland Breakthrough Targets,
• tools and mechanisms to support the integration of peatlands into NDCs and NBSAPs,
• the European Peatlands Initiative,
• peat formation and long-term carbon accumulation,
• and central concepts and definitions for peatland restoration and rewetting.

The Fourth Meeting of the Partners of the Global Peatlands Initiative in Peru reaffirmed that protecting peatlands is key for climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. From science to community action, GPI4 enabled partners to share lessons, strengthen alliances and advance a common agenda for these vital ecosystems. Their contributions to a 10-year strategy for GPI is upcoming.