Paludiculture Sustainable Productive Utilisation of Rewetted Peatlands

Paludiculture Sustainable productive utilisation of rewetted peatlands This publication is funded by the European Union DCI/ENV/2009/14/5 Harvested wet peatlands in the Lower Peene Valley near Anklam, Germany (B. Herold) Harvested wet peatlands on Schadefähre island (Lower Peene Valley, Germany) with the Oderhaff in the background (G. Olsthoom) UNEP Year Book 2012: “...a pioneering form of agriculture called ‘paludiculture’ that allows farmers to cultivate rather than degrade peatlands in ways that maintain their enormous carbon stocks while producing crops for sustainable biofuels.” Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, Uni- ted Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenia By 2030, the European Union aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990. The Energy Union initiative of the EU Commission helps to achie- ve this target by stimulating the use of renewable energy resources. Biomass from paludiculture, such as reed, can be used as an additional renewable source of energy. In addition, paludiculture systems can play a valuable role in enhancing biodiversity and protecting the large carbon stocks of wetlands, which have been identified as a significant hotspot of global emissions. Dr. Peter Wehrheim, Head of Unit Climate Finance and Deforestation, Directorate-General for climate Action, European Commission Global overview of peatlands Facts: – Peatlands hold globally twice as much carbon as all forest biomass – Peatland drainage leads to disproportionally large greenhouse gas emissions Peatlands are wetlands with a peat layer that largely consists of organic material with high carbon content. Peatlands have carbon stocks that greatly exceed those of other terrestrial ecosystems. Even the Giant Conifer Forest in the Pacific West of North America – with the highest trees in the world – reaches per ha only half of the carbon stock that peatlands hold on average. Peatlands constitute the largest and most concentrated reservoir of carbon (C) of all terrestrial ecosystems, worldwide storing an estimated 500 Gt (1 Gt = 1 Gigatonne or 109 metric tonnes) of C in their peat. This is equivalent to 75% of all atmospheric C, equal to all terrestrial biomass, and twice the carbon stock in the forest biomass of the world. These precious peatland ecosystems are being degraded and destroyed all over the world. Peat swamp forests in Southeast Asia are drained and logged; tundra peatlands are affected by global warming and mountain peatlands like in the Himalaya are subject to overgrazing and mining. As a result of peatland drainage, carbon that under normal conditions would remain stored for infinite times is released at an alarming rate. Compared with other formations, peatlands contain disproportionally much carbon (largely in their soil), UNEP Yearbook 2012 fig. 4, p. 24. Keeping peatlands wet is important, especially in times of changing climate, declining water resources and diminishing ecosystem services. Managing our peatlands in a responsible way helps us support the livelihoods of local people, better adapt to climate change impacts as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Kaisa Karttunen, Senior Climate Change Officer Climate, Energy and Tenure Division (NRC) FAO 3 Hotspots of peatland carbon emissions Peatlands cover only 3% of the world’s land surface, but contain 500 gigatonnes of carbon in their peat soil – twice as much as all the forest biomass of the world. When peatlands are drained, the peat soil starts to decompose. This decompo- sition releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. At present, the total CO2 emissions from degraded peatlands amount to one third of the worldwide emissions from Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) and to 5% of the total global anthropogenic emissions. The annual CO2 emissions from drained peatlands (excluding peat extrac- tion and peat fires) have increased from 1.000 Mton in 1990 to 1.300 Mton at present. Since 1990 peatland emissions have increased in 45 countries; 40 of which are developing countries. In many countries emissions increased by more than 50%, including amongst others, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Burundi, Indonesia, Kenya, Gabon, Togo, Colombia, Ruanda, and Brunei. above: Peatland drained for Acacia plantations in Indonesia (R. Dommain) below: Harvested Grey Sedge (Lepironia articulata) is used as braiding material in Indonesia (R. Dommain) Emissions from peatlands per country (in Mt. CO2 per year) based on data from the IMCG Global Peatland Database , Joosten (2009), map: S. Busse Productive use of peatlands is important for China and its huge population. But we must guarantee that peatland use is sustainable and avoids negative effects on the environment. Paludiculture is – also for China – a valuable option to explore. Prof. Dr. Wang Shengzhong, Director of the Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China 4 Hotspots of peatland carbon emissions The way out Facts – Drainage-based peatland utilisation causes peat oxidation, soil degradation, nitrate losses to surface waters, loss of flood control and water storage capacity, greenhouse gas emissions, peatland fires and haze. – The lowering of the peatland surface necessitates a continuous deepening of drainage ditches, which again enhances peat oxidation and further lowers the surface. – Ultimately, subsidence leads to the loss of productive land when the peatland can no longer be drained, is frequently inundated or becomes subject to salt intrusion. Alternative peatland utilisation options The most obvious option for preventing these problems is to refrain completely from drainage based peatland cultivation. Conservation of undrained peatlands keeps their valuable ecosystem services intact and avoids expensive investments in (often unsuccessful) repair. Where peatlands have to be cultivated, the negative impacts above: Cultivation of reed in Western Poland (A. Schäfer) of utilisation should be restricted by: below: Fen peatland managed for Aquatic Warbler in Ciacian, Eastern Poland (J. Peters) • minimising drainage • choosing crops that are adapted to high soil moisture • avoiding regular plowing, as tillage enhances peat oxidation • cultivating permanent crops, which curb peat oxidation by reducing surface temperatures • limiting nitrogen fertilisation, which increases peat oxidation and may result in large emissions of nitrous oxide. Various options for site-adapted land use on wet and rewetted peatlands have recently been developed and tested. These ‘pa- ludicultures’ revitalize traditional forms of land use through new utilisation schemes (e.g. reed cutting for insulation boards), or provide innovative products for growing market demands (e.g. biofuels). We have to change our thinking: On the one hand, we have to preserve all wetlands that are still in their natural state. On the other hand we have to rewet drained peatlands and establish alternative land use practices to secure the diverse functions of wetlands for humankind and nature. Prof. Dr. Michael Succow, Laureate of the Right Livelihood Award, University of Greifswald, Germany 5 What is paludiculture? Paludiculture (‘palus’– latin for ‘swamp’) is the productive use of wet peatland in ways that preserve the peat body. Paludiculture includes traditional activities such as reed mowing for thatch or collecting litter for bedding, as well as new practices, such as the utilisation of biomass from wet peatlands for biofuel. In many cases even new peat is formed – the aboveground biomass is harvested and the belowground biomass forms new peat. Rewetting and paludiculture provide: • Climate change mitigation by preventing CO2 emissions and by evaporation cooling • A halt to soil degradation and subsidence • Habitats for rare species • Recovery of the landscape water regime • Decreased nutrient emissions to surface waters and seas • Prevention of peatland fires • Improved perspectives for (eco)tourism • Raw materials for energy and industry • Employment in rural areas Biomass harvesting in Northeast Germany (C. Schröder) Only paludiculture enables us to combine the essential ecological functions of mires as carbon store, water regulator and champion of extraordinary biodiversity with the production of useful biomass. Drainage of peatlands can no longer be justified. Prof. Dr. Hans Joosten, University of Greifswald,Germany Paludiculture may help us combatting climate change as well as eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Paludiculture offers a unique possibility to decrease carbon dioxide emissions from degrading organic soils while simultaneous- Global warming potential (GWP) of landuse on peatlands as a function of water table and landuse practice (Jurasinski et al. in ly providing landowners with an economically feasible and sustain- Wichtmann, W., Schröder, C. & H. Joosten (eds.), 2016). able way of using the land. The production of biological raw material for energy and industry contributes to a decreased use of fossil fuels. An additional environmental benefit may be the decreased transport of nutrients to inland waters and coastal seas. Prof. Dr. Stefan Weisner, Wetland Research Centre, Halmstad University, Sweden 6 Ecosystem services by paludiculture? Paludiculture may offer new possibilities to restore wetlands that can deliver ecosystem services and vast amounts of biomass. But what price can be expected for the biomass? What is the value of the ecosystem services and who is going to pay for them? And

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