Talk_Tanneberger
Peatlands in Europe– current condition & challenges... and special attention to M-VFranziska Tanneberger, 30.08.2022Europe has ~1 mio km2 of the World‘s ~6 mio km2 of peatlandWhat is a peatland?• A peatland is an area with a naturallyaccumulated layer of peat at the surface(Joosten et al. 2017)• Peat is sedentarily accumulated materialconsisting of ≥30% dead organic material peat formation = carbon sequestration• The peat layer is preserved under wetconditions but oxidises to CO under drained2conditions• In a mire, peat is currently being formed.Albrecht Dürer 1495Started in 1991Published in 2017 49 ‘country’ chapters 134 national authorsEurope is rich in mire diversityMoen et al. 2017Map of 10 mire regions and 52subregions in EuropeEurope has a high degree of peatland degradation 25% of thetotal peatlandarea in Europe isdegraded in the EU, it is50% in severalcountries, morethan 90%!Peatland degradation is most often related to...Conventional agriculture on organic soilsLoss of the peat layer~30-40 t CO e ha -1 yr-1 (IPCC 2014)2Little/no mire-typical biodiversityEurope is one of the two global peatland GHG emission hotspotsWe can identify wherethe emissions comefrom & where thehotspots areVan Giersbergen (2022)WUR/LUKE/GMCConservation is much more cost-effective than restoration...PolandRewetting stops subsidence and substantially reduces GHGemissions as well as nutrient releaseBelarusLast but not least: If you have to use peatlands, use them wet.GermanyThis implies a fundamental change of agriculture on peatlandsConventional agriculture on organic soils PaludicultureLoss of the peat layer Preservation of the peat layer~30-40 t CO e ha -1 yr-1 (IPCC 2014) 0-8 t CO e ha -1 yr -1 (GMC own figures)2 2Little/no mire-typical biodiversity Mire-typical biodiversityPeatland rewetting and paludiculture is in many countries THE mainclimate protection measure in the agriculture and land use sectors!A small part of the agricultural land (3%)causes a large part of the GHG emissions related to agriculture (25%)Key tasks: ‚Translating‘ societal objectives to peatlands• 2019 Peatland GHG pathway for Germany based on Paris Agreement• 2022+ other EU countries in preparation (BE, NL, AT, PL, FI)Tanneberger et al. (2021) Mires and PeatKey tasks: Create capacity and new funding streams• 2022: Substantial state funding for natural climate solutions (DE 2022-2026: 4 bn Euro), incl. creation of peatland rewetting agencies (cf.Indonesia)• Involve the private sector (sponsoring, credits, paludiculture valuechains – e.g. www.toMOORow.org)• Carbon credits: build on existing crediting schemes (MoorFutures, UKPeatland Carbon Code)• Combine alternative land use on peatlands, e.g. rewetting + solar energy(+ paludiculture) on strongly degraded peatlandsKey tasks: Develop paludiculturewww.paludikultur.deLargest (10 ha) Cattail paludiculture site in Germany – in MVNew value chains• Construction and insulation material• Fibre for paper and moldings• Bioenergy• Biorefinery• Potting soil and substrates (Torfausstieg)Products are climate protective 3-fold:a) Reduction of soil-borne emissionsb) Replacement of fossil ressourcesc) Carbon sequestration in long-life productsd) Carbon sequestration through new peat formation Particularly important in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern! GHG emissionsper capita higherthan Germanaverage9102.latennamlehcsriH Particularly important in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern!9102.latennamlehcsriH 10/2020-03/2021 Final report = future programme for MVThank your for your attention!#peatlandsmatter For sure also in your country! greifswaldmoor.de