WISE USE OF MIRES AND PEATLANDS - BACKGROUND AND PRINCIPLES INCLUDING A FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKING HANS JOOSTEN DONAL CLARKE INTERNATIONAL MIRE INTERNATIONAL PEAT CONSERVATION GROUP SOCIETY 2 IMCG/IPS STATEMENT PUBLISHERS International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society. ISBN 951-97744-8-3 Distributed by NHBS Ltd, 2-3 Wills Road Totnes, Devon TQ9 5XN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1803 865913 Fax: +44 (0) 1803 865280 email: [email protected] web: www.nhbs.com Copyright © 2002 International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, or transmitted, or translated into a machine language without the written permission of the publishers. Printed November 2002 Saarijärven Offset Oy, Saarijärvi, Finland Cover: Haapasuo, a 2,500 ha large mire complex in the municipality of Leivonmäki, Central Finland. Photo: Raimo Sopo. This project has been carried out with financial support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) under the Global Peatland Initiative (www.wetlands.org/projects/GPI/default.htm), managed by Wetlands International in co-operation with the IUCN- Netherlands Committee, Alterra, the International Mire Conservation Group and the International Peatland Society. Thanks also to Environment Canada for its provision of staff time and logistical and financial support for this publication. IMCG/IPS STATEMENT 3 CONTENTS Guide to the Use of the Document .......................................................... 10 1. Outline of Chapter Contents ............................................................ 10 2. Guide to the framework for decision-making .................................... 13 1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 18 1.1 Preface ........................................................................................... 18 1.2 ‘Sustainable’ and ‘Wise’ Use in key conventions .............................. 18 1.3 Preparation of a Wise Use document ............................................... 19 1.4 Guidelines for Global Action on Peatlands ........................................ 21 1.5 Purpose of the document ................................................................. 21 1.6 Concept and content of the document .............................................. 22 1.7 Target organisations ......................................................................... 22 2. Mires and peatlands .............................................................................. 24 2.1 Concepts and terms1....................................................................... 24 2.2 Peat formation ................................................................................. 25 2.3 Mire and peatland types .................................................................. 25 2.4 Extent and location of mires and peatlands ....................................... 32 2.5 Rates of peat and carbon accumulation ............................................ 33 2.6 Characteristics of mires and peatlands .............................................. 35 2.7 Peatlands as habitats and ecosystems ............................................... 36 3. Values and functions of mires and peatlands...................................... 45 3.1. What are Values? ............................................................................ 45 3.2 Positions with respect to intrinsic moral values .................................. 46 3.3 Types of instrumental values ............................................................. 47 3.4 Functions of mires and peatlands for human beings ........................... 48 3.4.1 Production functions .............................................................. 48 3.4.2 Carrier functions .................................................................... 69 3.4.3 Regulation functions ............................................................... 72 3.4.4 Informational functions ........................................................... 83 3.4.5 Transformation and option functions ....................................... 90 3.4.6 The values of conservation and economics .............................. 91 4 IMCG/IPS STATEMENT 4. Values and conflicts: where different values meet .......................... 101 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................... 101 4.2 Needs, wants and rights ................................................................. 101 4.3 Different types of conflicts .............................................................. 103 4.4 Conflicts dealing with facts ............................................................. 103 4.5 Conflicts dealing with preferences .................................................. 103 4.6 Conflicts dealing with precedences ................................................ 104 4.7 Conflicts dealing with priorities ....................................................... 106 4.8 The monetarisation of peatland values ............................................ 108 4.9 Conflicts dealing with moral positions ............................................. 112 4.10 Non-anthropocentric approaches ................................................... 113 5. Framework for Wise Use .................................................................... 120 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................... 120 5.2 Deciding in principle if an intervention is admissible ......................... 122 5.2.1 The effect of a use on the function itself ................................ 122 5.2.2. The effect of a use on other functions ................................... 123 5.3 General Considerations .................................................................. 124 5.4 Guidance Principles for Wise Use .................................................. 125 5.5 Modifiers ...................................................................................... 127 5.6 Instruments .................................................................................... 128 5.6.1 Instruments at an international level ....................................... 128 5.6.2 Instruments at regional level involving groups of countries ...... 129 5.6.3 Instruments at a national level ............................................... 129 5.6.4 Instruments at sub-national level involving provinces and regions .......................................................................... 133 5.6.5 Instruments at the level of enterprises ................................... 135 5.6.6 Instruments at the level of the individual person ..................... 136 5.7 Codes of Conduct ......................................................................... 137 5.8 Non-anthropocentric approaches ................................................... 138 5.9 Dialogue ........................................................................................ 139 5.10 Conclusion .................................................................................... 140 Glossary of Concepts and Terms ............................................................ 162 Acknowledgements ................................................................................. 178 Appendices .............................................................................................. 183 IMCG/IPS STATEMENT 5 References ............................................................................................... 217 Index ........................................................................................................ 253 6 IMCG/IPS STATEMENT STATEMENT ON THE WISE USE OF PEATLANDS Adopted by the International Peat Society and the International Mire Conservation Group March 20021 INTRODUCTION This document highlights the nature and importance of peatlands and identifies problems resulting from their use. The International Peat Society (IPS) and International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) provide suggestions on how these problems may be resolved through application of the “wise use” approach. The challenge is to develop mechanisms that can balance the conflicting demands on the global peatland heritage to ensure its continued wise use to meet the needs of humankind. It is understood in this Statement that the term “peatlands”2 is inclusive of “mires”. WHAT ARE PEATLANDS? Peatlands are the most widespread of all wetland types in the world, representing 50 to 70% of global wetlands. They cover over four million km2 or 3% of the land and freshwater surface of the planet. In these ecosystems are found one third of the world’s soil carbon and 10% of global freshwater resources. These ecosystems are characterized by the unique ability to accumulate and store dead organic matter from Sphagnum and many other non-moss species, as peat, under conditions of almost permanent water saturation. Peatlands are adapted to the extreme conditions of high water and low oxygen content, of toxic elements and low availability of plant nutrients. Their water chemistry varies from alkaline to acidic. Peatlands occur on all continents, from the tropical to boreal and Arctic zones from sea level to high alpine conditions. WHY PAY ATTENTION TO PEATLANDS? Wise use of peatlands is essential in order to ensure that sufficient areas of peatlands remain on this planet to carry out their vital natural resource functions while satisfying the essential requirements of present and future human