Paludiculture Newsletter 1|2023

Paludiculture Exploration – funding and engagement for England

The new £5m fund to promote the use of peatlands in England (UK) for sustainable farming was announced by the UK Government on 27th August 2022. The Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) seeks to unlock barriers to making commercial paludiculture a reality.  The initiative sits under the umbrella of the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme in England and is managed by Natural England.

The UK government have recognised that paludiculture offers a potential solution for maintaining the profitable use of lowland peatland whilst significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their current (dryland) agricultural use. In 2020, emissions from drained agricultural peatlands in England were estimated at 8.5 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalents. This is around 3% of England’s emissions. The potential for paludiculture in England has been described in a report of a recent research project funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra): Defra-LP2-paludiculture-report-April-2020.pdf.

Commercial paludiculture in the UK is at a very early stage. There are many barriers to be overcome. This is where the PEF comes in.  There are a number of trials already underway in England investigating the potential of sphagnum moss, used as a replacement for peat in horticulture. The PEF can support trials such as these to expand, as well as supporting new trials and pilots investigating new wetland crops. Innovators in the UK and across Europe are also paving the way for new products that use paludiculture crops, such as typha (cattail) to make building materials as well as insulation for clothing. The PEF can support innovators to develop such products and investigate new uses and markets for them. Farming on rewetted peatland will also require the development of practical sowing, growing and harvesting equipment, as well as processing tools and methods to manufacture a desirable product. The PEF will fund projects to adapt and develop machinery that enables productive farming in wet conditions. The PEF was open for funding applications until early March 2023.

As well as offering grant funding, the PEF also has an engagement strand that will bring together the communities and stakeholders that might be thinking about paludiculture.  By developing a Community of Practice for paludiculture in England we will learn together more quickly about the practicalities of adopting these crops, as well as develop knowledge and understanding around these exciting new opportunities. The first Paludiculture Event (Exploring the way forward for wetter farming in England) took place on 11^th and 12^th January 2023 in Cambridge when some 90 people gathered to share knowledge through presentations and discussions to explore the challenges and opportunities for paludiculture together. Knowledge was shared with foreign experts, including Dr Sabine Wichmann (Greifswald Mire Centre, Germany) and Dr Jeroen Geurts and Aldert van Weeren (The Netherlands).  A range of on-going projects from across England also shared their experiences. Event presentations and reports of the discussions can be found here: Exploring the Way Forward.  All are welcome to join the paludiculture community at paludiculture.org.uk to find out about events and projects and share information via the Forum. It is to be hoped that the currently still relatively small fund will be continued and expanded!

Contact: Jim Milner, Natural England, peatlandscheme@naturalengland.org.uk; Engagement team: paludiculture@niab.com

Harakeke – Paludiculture perspectives in Aotearoa, New Zealand

To date, apart from a small production of Sphagnum moss, there is no wet peatland use in New Zealand. Phragmites australis, commonly used in Europe, is unfortunately unsuitable in Aotearoa (entirety of New Zealand in Māori). It is considered an undesirable organism and potentially the country's worst aquatic weed. But institutions such as Landcare Research-Manaaki Whenua and the Waikato Regional Council are now targeting other potential plants: Bulrush Typha orientalis and New Zealand Phormium tenax. Typha orientalis is very similar to the European bulrush and can be utilised similarly. But Phormium tenax also known as Harakeke in the Māori language, is particularly exciting.

Botanically, Harakeke is a type of lily, but it looks more like a type of flax. Its leaves are dark green to light green, sometimes even reddish. The leaves are long and stiff, and the whole plant can grow up to five meters high. The reddish-orange Harakeke produces a sweet nectar in spring that is especially liked by Tuis, native birds with a characteristic song and small white ball of feathers under their throats.

Harakeke likes to grow in waterlogged organic soils and is tolerant of nutrient-poor conditions. Harakeke could, for example, be grown well in succession where Typha was previously cultivated. However, even if it appears to be a promising successional crop, Harakeke may suffer biomass decline under nutrient-poor, acidic conditions. Continuous cultivation of both Harakeke and Typha would still need more detailed analyses on long-term growth requirements with possible addition of nutrients. The latter is controversial. To avoid establishing another monoculture with paludiculture and to do good for biodiversity, it is important to consider mixed paludiculture at a site.

In Aotearoa, Harakeke is an iconic plant that has been used by people for centuries. Harakeke's strong fibres are similar to flax in the northern hemisphere. Harakeke has many uses, including fibre, dyes, fishing, hunting and building, and even medicines. Traditional Māori Raranga (weaving) with Harakeke continues to be widely practiced, for both cultural and economic purposes. Cultivation may thus offer opportunities for a new niche market. This should definitely be led by local Māori groups.

Author: Rahel Bauerdick, rahelina@hotmail.co.nz

This contribution is based on an internship with the National Wetland Trust of New Zealand and the Landcare Research Institute - Manaaki Whenua. The author is seeking contact with people involved in the physical properties of peat soils and the geomorphology of peatlands.

Peatlands for bookworms

Factual and personal at the same time is the new book Das Moor by GMC director Dr Franziska Tanneberger and Vera Schröder. A touching read about the love of nature and a peatland expert who turned into a climate conservationist, describes the dtv publishing house. And "Great read for a rainy Saturday afternoon!" tweeted the renowned climate scientist Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf. On 256 pages, peatlands become quite understandable - also for those who are aware of the climate crisis but do not yet know the importance of these landscapes for it. Solidly underpinned with the latest findings of peatland research, the book explains how yesterday and today, local and global are interrelated - from incipient drainage since the Middle Ages to the current IPCC report.

On 50 pages and 52 illustrations, the Mooratlas - Daten und Fakten zu nassen Klimaschützern not only illuminates the history of peatlands, their importance as unique habitats for the global climate and biodiversity, as well as their destruction with local and global consequences. It also explains how we can protect peatlands and restore their functions, and how wet peatlands work for climate protection and can be used in paludiculture. Published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) and Succow Foundation, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, the Peatland Atlas also shows how politics and society can act now for more peatland protection.

Implementing paludiculture on a peatland, converting an entire farm to “wet”, or producing the right biomass for a new product - how does it work? Answers are provided in the new Leitfaden für die Umsetzung von Paludikultur by Anke Nordt, Susanne Abel, Sophie Hirschelmann, Christina Lechtape und Josephine Neubert in the GMC proceedings. It is aimed at farmers, landowners, project sponsors, water and soil associations, government agencies, agricultural advisors, research institutions, and potential biomass manufacturers. The guidebook covers five areas: Suitability of sites, planning and permits for the conversion into a paludiculture area to practical tips for the establishment and management of the area as well as the utilization of the produced biomass and support - including examples of implementation.

Which plants are suitable for paludiculture in the Holarctic is presented in the publication Potential Paludiculture Plants of the Holarctic by Susanne Abel und Tristan Kallweit. On 440 pages, 95 plant species from the Database of Potential Paludiculture Plants (DPPP) are portrayed. Most are promising for sustainable wet land use on peatlands. The paludiculture potential, e.g. in terms of new peat formation, differs substantially between species. In the plant portraits, comprehensive information has been compiled on the characterization of the species, site requirements, cultivation as well as possible uses of the plant.

Peat ban in United Kingdom

Approximately 30 million households in the UK engage in some form of gardening, and to a large degree that involves the use of peat-based substrate, using around 2 million cubic metres of peat, releasing half a million tonnes of CO₂ per year. Whilst this is not a huge share of the UK’s total carbon footprint, phasing out peat for ornamental uses seems an easy win for the climate. Two thirds of these are imported from other European countries such as Ireland, so this is directly damaging the environment outside of the UK.

A peat ban was first announced in 2010, with an aspiration for retailers to voluntarily removed peat from products sold to amateur gardeners by 2020, and a full ban for both amateur and professional growers by 2030. Whilst there were slow changes, the 2020 deadline passed with most substrates sold still containing peat, although the overall volume had reduced by 25%.

In December 2021 the government announced a consultation on ending the sale of peat for horticulture by 2024 in England and Wales (sales of peat in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the devolved administrations). The main outcome of the consultation (results published in August 2022 - Summary of responses and government response - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) was overwhelming support for a ban, with 95% of respondents supporting it. In response the government announced that this would go ahead. This may be in part due to the support from the Royal Horticultural Society, the UKs largest gardening charity, who have been peat free in their own gardens for some time and have encouraged their members to avoid the use of peat. The consultation responses also show that about 15% of the horticultural businesses that responded are already peat free.

Most UK supermarkets and garden centres now stock peat free products, and the quality is generally as good as peat-based substrates for everyday gardening such as growing tomato seedlings. The proposed ban has not been welcomed by all parties however – the Horticultural Trade Association has called for there to be no regulation and a voluntary target of 2025, with a focus instead on removing barriers to alternatives. (HTA | HTA response to Defra announcement on horticultural peat).

Barring a major change in priorities for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), it seems likely that there will be a ban in place by the end of 2024 on the sale of bagged peat as compost. It will be interesting to see how quickly retailers move in advance of this, and how well the wider public (the ~29,995,000 domestic gardeners who did not respond to the survey) take to the new products. From the author’s own observation, for the spring of 2023 50% of the local supermarkets are primarily selling peat free bagged compost. However, for the time being horticultural growers will still be allowed to use peat-based products until 2030, despite calls for this to be brought forward (UK Government confirms ban on all peat-based gardening products will not be implemented until 2030 | The Wildlife Trusts). So anyone buying bedding plants or other pre-grown plants for their garden will still find themselves – indirectly – buying peat.

Author: Harry Mach, CANAPE Project Manager / United Kingdom

Deceiving good news

The global loss of wetlands is smaller than previously assumed, according to the recent study Extensive global wetland loss over the last three centuries in the internationally renowned scientific journal Nature. Peatland scientists from the University of Greifswald, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, have contributed data from their Global Peatland Database and from the historical holdings of the local peatland library. The results now help to better assess the climate impact of peatlands, e. g. to quantify the change in carbon storage and in methane emissions. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about the impact of wetland loss and how wetland restoration can be better planned.

The study by an authors' collective led by Standford University shows that only 21-35% of the world's wetlands have been lost since 1700, instead of 50-87% as previously thought. In a historically first reconstruction, the scientists combed through thousands of records of drainage and land-use change in 154 countries for the study to compare them with the current distribution of drained and altered wetlands to get a picture of the state since 1700.

"In terms of area, the loss is not as great as is often claimed. What seems to be good news at first glance, however, should not deceive us. Worldwide, about four million km² of wetlands have disappeared, of which about 0.5 million km² are wet peatlands. However, drained peatlands are responsible for 4-5% of global greenhouse gas emissions: they are relatively small areas but with huge consequences!" says Prof. Dr Dr Hans Joosten, emeritus professor and co-author of the study. The study can be used to better quantify the change in carbon storage by wetlands and in methane emissions. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about the impact of wetland loss and how wetland restoration can be better planned.