EUKI Peatlands Project
The EUKI Peatlands project’s scope
Duration 2022-2025
While healthy peatlands can be the most space-efficient long-term carbon storage in our planet’s terrestrial biosphere, European peatlands are massively degrading. The continent counts as one with enormous peatland losses. To conserve and restore degraded peatlands and peat soils, they need to become drainage-free and rewetted. Improved and long-term collaboration on a European scale is urgently needed to upscale peatland restoration.
Together with our project partners, the Michael Succow Foundation (partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre), the European Landowners’ Organization, and CEEweb for Biodiversity, we at Eurosite are excited to continue supporting the building of a long-lasting European network for peatland climate action led by European national governments and based on up-to-date data, national policies and best-practice land management.
Throughout the project, we will:
- Connect governments and stakeholders to raise awareness of the essential role of peatlands in achieving global and pan-European climate and sustainability objectives.
- Help national governments and the European Commission to develop base strategies and policies on up-to-date peatlands data and management best practices.
- Achieve the commitment of stakeholders towards sustainable land use practices.
- Improve the pan-European cooperation between scientists, conservationists, private landowners and farmers networks.
Expected results:
- Establishing the European Peatlands Initiative, which will continue after the end of the EUKI project in cooperation with the Global Peatlands Initiative and the United Nations Environmental Programme.
- Improved representation of the Central and Eastern European countries in the Global Peatland Database.
- An updated version of the peatland map of Europe and maps of agricultural use of peatlands and GHG emissions in all European countries.
- Assessment of five national peatland strategies and screening of exemplary policies.
- A guidance document on science-based emission reduction pathways for peatlands and soils.
- Three sectoral manuals focusing on agriculture, forestry and nature conservation as a tool for land users, farmers, conservation managers and (private) landowners who, either on their initiative or in consultation with the government or local NGOs, want to contribute to the realisation of a sustainable peatland and soil management.
- A series of workshops and networking events bring together national government representatives, scientists, environmentalists, private landowners, and farmers to exchange knowledge.
- Stakeholder community creation – an online environment with relevant information on peatland restoration and data needed to develop national peatland strategies.
As a result, peatland-rich countries can develop increased institutional capacities to tackle peatland loss, and on-site practitioners and land users can receive the necessary information to foster sustainable, drainage-free, and rewetted peatlands.
The project “Building the European Peatlands Initiative: a strong alliance for peatland climate protection in Europe” is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). EUKI is a project financing instrument by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The EUKI competition for project ideas is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It is the overarching goal of the EUKI to foster climate cooperation within the European Union (EU) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
EVENTS
National Peatland Strategies And Peatland Restoration Opportunities For Climate Action
➡️ ➡️ Register here The project “Building the European Peatlands Initiative: a strong alliance for peatland climate protection in Europe” is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). EUKI is...
Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Peatland Management
Peatlands play an essential role in achieving global and pan-European climate and sustainability objectives. While healthy peatlands can be the most space-efficient long-term carbon store and sink in our planet’s...