News
2024
New GMC publication
on peatland, law & rewetting
22/04/2024 "Legal framework conditions for the rewetting and use of peatlands - a mapping of fields of action and levers" is the full-length title of the new GMC publication. Above all, it provides a graphic overview of nine fields of action as well as the respective applicable legal bases and political strategies for rewetting and adapted peatland use in the Federal Republic of Germany. The focus is on the federal level. There are text boxes with suggestions as to which political levers could improve or accelerate peatland climate protection- The relevant ministries are conveniently assigned. The GMC publication is intended as a basis for further and more detailed legal analyses.
Methane and rewetting
Explained in new film
17/04/2024 This film is troubleshooting this peatland question: What’s the lesser evil - drained peatlands emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) or rewetting causing methane (CH4) emissions? Find answers on:
Do peatlands emit methane?
Yes! Wet peatlands – intact and rewetted – release methane, and the climate-damaging greenhouse gas is also produced when rewetting formerly drained areas. Methane has a much stronger effect on the climate than carbon dioxide , but - remains in the atmosphere for comparably short time.
Then better avoid rewetting to prevent methane emissions?
What’s the better choice for climate protection?
Addressing the climate crisis requires reducing atmospheric concentrations of all three greenhouse gases relevant to peatlands (CH4, CO2, nitrous oxide (N2O)). Rewetting effectively reduces long-lived CO2 emissions from peatlands to zero effectively and quickly and is therefore always the right choice for climate protection.
Can we control methane in rewetted peatlands? Yes!
It is possible to minimise methane emissions by various measures as removing biomass ahead of rewetting, avoiding long-term flooding and rewetting gradually.
Want to know more about the role of methane, peatlands and rewetting?
Watch the entire film on YouTube. Find more information in our factsheet The role of methane in peatland rewetting.
Bioreactor, anniversary, three Ms & more ...
Newsletter: new issue
10/04/2024 These topics don't go together? Yes, they do. Read in the new issue of our new issue of the Paludiculture Newsletter:
- what peat mosses have to do in a bioreactor,
- what the provisional failure of the Nature Restoration Law at the European Council now means for peatlands,
- how the 25-year-old concept of paludiculture is not old-fashioned at all, but should be celebrated today, and
- how researchers are scrutinizing a combination with a miserable reputation - namely mires, mosquitoes and malaria - in the Peene Valley.
Not only do we hope you enjoy reading this newsletter, we would also be delighted to receive feedback on it by e-mail to communication@greifswaldmoor.de.
Together for Europe's peatlands
GMC team in on the action
A map of all peatlands and wetlands in Europe is to be created as part of the Mapathon at the University of Galway, Ireland, on 6th April. A team from the Greifswald Mire Centre will also play its part.
The event is intended to draw public attention to the peatlands, but also to the opportunities offered by open data. The wetlands will be considered from the following perspectives: Biodiversity, Climate Protection, Energy, Community & Culture, Environmental Quality - Water, Soil & Air, Land Use & Agriculture, Research & Applied Sciences, Economy.
Here's how it works: Each team selects a specific geographical area that it would like to map, usually a European country. With the help of open data, mire areas and the categories assigned to them are visualised.
The Mapathon will be streamed live on Zoom and YouTube throughout the day, and a technical support team will be available to answer questions via Google Chat. A full list of discovered open data on peatlands will be distributed to all participants after the event.
Interested parties are encouraged to participate online or on site. The main tool used will be QGIS. There will be an introduction and technical support if required.
A mapathon is a coordinated mapping event where the public is invited to make map improvements in their neighbourhood to increase coverage. The knowledge and work of many is brought together to form a whole from which everyone benefits.
The European Peatlands & Policies Open Data Mapathon 2024 starts on 6th April at 11 a.m. CET, and there are also great prizes for the best teams: The winners will receive 1200 EUR.
Biodiversity - how to save it?
10 must-knows from the world of research
Good news: There are only six years left to achieve the biodiversity targets, but we can make it! We can do quite a lot to effectively conserve biodiversity at local, national and European level, on the ground as well as on in society and politics! 64 scientists have compiled their ideas in the new report of the Biodiversity Research Network, coordinated by the Leibniz Association. Peatlands are mentioned right at the top - thanks to Greifswald Mire Centre and the University of Greifswald ;) - as their conservation helps to combat both the climate crisis and species loss.
In fact, only a small part of global biodiversity is understood so far. The report therefore recommends to focus on ecosystems functioning rather than on individual species. Environmental measures can thus become more sustainable. The "10 must-knows from biodiversity research" provide facts for a German National Biodiversity Strategy 2030, which is currently being developed. This will enables the German government to implement the 23 global biodiversity targets agreed by the member states of the United Nations at the World Conference on Nature in December 2022.