Policy consulting

Greifswald scientists are active players in international organisations and advisory bodies such as the UNFCCC (Hans Joosten), the IPCC (John Couwenberg, Hans Joosten), FAO (Hans Joosten), UNESCO MAB Committee (Michael Succow) and UNESCO-SCOPE (Hans Joosten).
In 2011, years of work by Hans Joosten and colleagues resulted in the inclusion of ‘Wetland Drainage and Rewetting’ as a new land use activity under the Kyoto Protocol. Decision Support Systems on peatland restoration and utilisation, made in Greifswald, were adopted by FAO in 2012. The UNEP-Report "Frontiers 2018/19" defines the thawing of Arctic permafrost as one of five pressing but hitherto underestimated environmental threats based on Greifswald peatland expertise.

 

The secretariat of the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) is based in Greifswald. Greifswald is home to the Global Peatland Database (GPD) of the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) – the best global overview on peatland distribution. Currently, high-resolution mapping of peatlands in Europe, East-Africa, northeastern China and Cuba is being carried out on the basis of GIS sources and satellite imagery.

 

Greifswald has strong ties to various administrative levels of environmental protection and nature conservation authorities in Germany and a number of its federal states. Six scientists of the Greifswald Mire Centre have contributed to the TEEB DE report on natural capital and climate policy.  Peatland-rich countries and regions are supported by policy briefs, e.g. the Nordic Council of Ministers.

 

Our policy consulting includes:

  • Global climate change negotiations
  • Protected area management worldwide
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Global Peatland Database