Components of the Toolbox
Land Use Practices
We distinguish three categories of land use that, if managed in a proper way, substantially contribute to the realisation of climate robust land use in Europe:
Areas of bare peat contribute significantly to carbon emissions, increase the speed at which water runs off the moors, degrade water quality and are of little value to wildlife. Restoration interventions are used to reverse these effects, halt the process of peat erosion and facilitate revegetation, creating peatlands which provide carbon storage, increased water quality, flood risk management and are rich in biodiversity. Here you can find information on proper restoration techniques, and some examples of peatland restoration and conservation projects within the scope of the Interreg Vb CarbonConnects.
Paludiculture is wet agriculture and forestry on peatlands. Paludiculture combines the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands through rewetting with continued land use and biomass production under wet conditions. Find out more about paludiculture crops here.
Transitional Land Uses
Some extensive ways of managing formerly drained peatlands do not require large investments, while simultaneously reducing GHG emissions and preserving peat. These practices partially rewet the peatlands while either producing biomass from mixed wetland crops or allowing for extensive livestock grazing and milk production. This form of land use can serve as a transitional state while businesses are transformed, and full rewetting is realised. Learn more about transitional land uses here.
Incomes & Credit
There are a variety of business models that may support the farmer or landowner in the transition process towards rewetting drained peatland, restoring peatland, or maintaining their natural functioning. Incomes can be generated from production of goods but almost always need to be supplemented with additional financial arrangements such as payment for ecosystem services (PES), carbon credits, and blue credits. For example-calculations, and in order to find out more about the business models, click here.
To quantify the effects that peatland restoration, paludiculture, or transitional land uses have on GHG emissions, hydrology, and other ecosystem services, peatland needs to be monitored. Find out more about peatland monitoring here.
Capacity building
Since a lot of the practices described in this toolbox are still relatively new, there is a lot of room for improvement and capacity building. To learn from existing pilot projects and research, an active learning community is required. Find out more about capacity building here.
Policy Recommendations
Policies, rules and regulations determine to what extent we can protect our peatlands. Based on the experiences of the Carbon Connects network a number of recommendations have been formulated.