News/All pieces

Fentastic!

Funding for GMC

08/07/2025  During an off-site cabinet meeting of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state government with representatives of the federal government at the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Representation in Berlin on July 7, 2026, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Minister President Manuela Schwesig presented the University of Greifswald with a grant notification for the expansion of peatland research. Since July 2026, the Federal Ministry for the Environment has been funding the research project with a total of approximately 14 million Euros. The funding lays the foundation for the further development of peatland research and the establishment of the Greifswald Mire Institute (GMI). For more information, see the press release of the Federal Ministry for the Environment  and the press release of the University of Greifswald.

Paludiculture Newsletter 2/2026

Read new issue now

06/07/2026 The Greifswald Mire Centre has published the second issue of the Paludiculture Newsletter this year. Out key topics featured in this edition include:

• Refreshing: Peatlands and Beer

• Dual climate benefit: Peatlands and Solar Power

• Debunking common misconceptions: Interview on mosquitoes and peatlands

Additional materials comprise a new fact sheet examining relationships of peatlands and water resources, information about the current workshop series for professionals an the aftermovie from conference RRR2025 is also accessible online.

Plus more topics and current dates in the event calendar.

We enjoy staying in touch with our readers. What topics would you like to see covered in the paludiculture newsletter? What feedback do you have for us? Feel free to email us at communication@greifswaldmoor.de.

The newsletter is provided by the PaludiZentrale project of Thünen Institut, Universität Greifswald and Succow foundation. It is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH) through the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR).

First Paludi-Summer School

Peat under their fingernails, fresh ideas in their minds

29/06/2026 For ten days in June, twenty early-career scientists from Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, many from PaludiNet projects, came together for the first Paludiculture Summer School, hosted by the PaludiCentral project, a collaboration between the Thünen Institute and University of Greifswald and Michael Succow Foundation, both partners in the Greifswald Mire Centre.

Beginning in Braunschweig and concluding in Greifswald, the summer school offered a diverse programme covering a spectrum of paludiculture related topics. Participants explored the fundamentals of organic soils, peatland hydrology, biodiversity, greenhouse gas measurements, and the socioeconomic and technical dimensions of paludiculture. Theoretical sessions were complemented by lab visits and field excursions, providing opportunities to deepen one’s own understanding and to put knowledge into practice. Furthermore, the poster session facilitated an in-depth exchange not only amongst the participants, but also with researchers from the Thünen Institute who were taking part in the presentation (link to interviews). Participants left the summer school with peat-stained fingers and with new questions on the placement of Eddy covariance towers and challenges involved in measuring hydraulic conductivity.

The excursions provided the opportunity to visit a range of sites within the PaludiNet network. Highlights included the MOOSland site and witnessing a sphagnum harvest; the RoNNi project, where preparations for Typha planting were underway; the reed plantation of the PaludiMV project; an established Typha cultivation site in Neukalen; several MoMoK (Peatland monitoring program for climate protection) sites; and, finally, a near-natural fen in the Peene Valley, a potential future habitat for aquatic warbler translocation efforts. These visits brought seminar room concepts to life and demonstrated the diversity of approaches currently being developed across the paludiculture landscape.

Learning was balanced with lively discussions, an interview, interactive games, role-playing exercises, and a visit to the peatland library. Participants were also given space to think creatively about the future of paludiculture and share their hopes, dreams, and visions for “Paludi Futures”. Ideas ranged from advances in paludi biomass value chains with magical sorting machines to large-scale immersive paludiculture parks, local infrastructure revolutions, and anchoring paludiculture in our social conscience with the paludi barbie in waders, and seeing peatland futures from the perspective of a dragonfly. In its own small way, the summer school became a first step toward these futures. By bringing together the expertise, curiosity and passion from different universities, organisations, and countries, it created new networks and inspired fresh ideas, questions, and collaborations. Friendships were formed, perspectives broadened, and a new generation of peatland professionals left with renewed motivation and optimism for the future development of paludiculture.

When We Talk About Drought, We Must Talk About Water

New GMC information paper

28/06/2026  Wet and rewetted peatlands play a key role in making landscapes more resilient to increasing periods of drought and extreme weather events. Although total precipitation levels remain similar to previous levels, they are distributed more unevenly. Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and long periods of drought are on the rise.

A recent information paper explains in detail how peatlands regulate the landscape’s water balance, which factors determine their water storage capacity, and what role rewetting plays in flood control and climate protection. It also outlines the conditions under which rewetting can be successfully implemented and the challenges involved.

Peatland restoration is essential for climate protection: To achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2045, approximately 80,000 hectares of peatlands would need to be restored annually. In particular, the removal of artificial drainage systems is crucial to this effort.

Brasil for Peatland Breakthrough

hopefully taking champion role

19/06/2026  Brazil is taking important steps towards becoming a Champion Country of the Peatland Breakthrough, the global initiative to accelerate peatland conservation, restoration and sustainable management worldwide.

Brazil hosts the world’s largest known extent of tropical peatlands, covering approximately 226,000 km² across the Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, Pampa and coastal regions. Despite their global importance, peatlands remain largely absent from Brazil's environmental legislation, greenhouse gas reporting and national as well as international climate policy as 53 Brazilian researchers criticised in an open letter .

Brazil's National Committee for Wetlands (CNZU) has now recommended that the Ministry of the Environment formally endorse the Peatland Breakthrough and explore taking on a Champion Country role. The recommendation marks an important step towards strengthening the recognition of peatlands within Brazil's climate, biodiversity and water policies.

“This is great news for the global peatland community - catalysed by the climate conference COP30 in Belem, exchange with peatland scientists and conservationists in Brazil intensified and we are excited and very grateful for the country’s interest and commitment to join global peatland action”, said Dr. Franziska Tanneberger, director of the Greifswald Mire Centre, who was invited to participate in the National Committee for Wetlands meeting.

“The recommendation issued by the National Committee for Wetlands reflects Brazil's growing recognition of peatlands as strategic ecosystems for climate regulation, biodiversity conservation and water security,” said Dr. Suelma Ribeiro Silva from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).

If endorsed, Brazil would join Peru, Uganda and Germany as Champion Countries of the Peatland Breakthrough, strengthening international cooperation on peatland conservation, restoration and sustainable management.

About the Peatland Breakthrough

The Peatland Breakthrough is a global call to action led by Wetlands International, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Greifswald Mire Centre, developed in close alignment with the Global Peatlands Initiative, and in collaboration with the Convention on Wetlands. The growing list of partners includes: Global Environment Centre, Landscape Finance Lab, RE-PEAT, and The Nature Conservancy.

The Peatland Breakthrough charts a clear path forward through three global targets:

1. Halt the anthropogenic loss of undrained peatlands by 2030.

2. By 2030, at least 30 million hectares of peatlands will be rewetted and restored.

3. By 2030, enabling conditions for sustainable, wise use will be developed, and by 2050, it is implemented on all peatlands.

 

EDELNASS workshop

Three years of research on wetland biomass.

16/06/2026  What can be produced from wetland biomass — and how can sustainable value chains be created from it? The EDELNASS project presents its findings on these questions after three years of research. The closing workshop on June 23, 2026, at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy will focus on the use of wetland biomass for paper, basic chemicals, and other bio-based products. Researchers will present their findings and discuss with industry stakeholders the opportunities and challenges for the future use of peatland and marsh biomass.
In addition to the project results, the focus will be on exchange and looking ahead: What next steps are needed to ensure that innovative products and value chains derived from wetland biomass make the leap into practical application? The event starts at 11 a.m. (reception at 10 a.m.) and ends at 4 p.m. Afterward, interested attendees can tour ATB laboratories and facilities. Participation is possible both in person and online.
Further information and registration: https://doodle.com/sign-up-sheet/participate/e4f89709-ceed-45bc-981b-79deb00dc6f6/select

More peatland on everyone’s lips

German Amateur Brewers’ Championship

10/06/2026  Getting more people talking about peatlands—what peatland enthusiast wouldn’t want that? Several peatland researchers from the Greifswald Mire Centre were therefore happy to serve as judges for the peatland beers at the German Amateur Brewers’ Championship hosted by Störtebeker Braumanufaktur. With flavors and colors ranging from peat-dark to marsh marigold yellow, it wasn’t easy to pick the winning beer! The bog-and-beer combination isn’t just refreshing—it also makes it possible to draw people’s attention to peatlands in a casual way. Of course, here at the GMC, we dream of cultivating these “botanicals” on a large scale—that is, fields of paludiculture featuring bog myrtle and bog birch on rewetted areas—for the mass production of delicious peatland beers. But please note: For the brewing competition, we collected the botanical ingredients from the peatland with special permission. Especially in intact peatlands, which are often protected nature reserves, you are not allowed to pick or remove plants! You can gain more firsthand—or rather, first-keg—experience with peatland beer brewing at the awards ceremony on September 5 in Stralsund. Until then—cheers!

RRR2025 - Aftermovie

Watch now!

02/06/2026 Just in time for International Peatlands Day, the official aftermovie for the 2025 International RRR Conference was released. A film featuring 350 participants, 84 presentations, and a common theme — the sustainable use of peatlands, also known as paludiculture.

The aftermovie on the international conference „RRR2025 - Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatlands“ conference features voices from countries in Europe, Africa, and the U.S. that highlight varying levels of development and potential:

Lorna Parker from the United Kingdom discusses the experimental nature of the initiative there so far and the nascent cultivation of cattails in the Great Fen.

Leonard Akwany from Kenya sees paludiculture there as still in its infancy, but also recognizes its great potential for water and climate protection, as well as the advantage of being able to build on European experience.

Prof. Christian Fritz from the Netherlands emphasizes the strength of paludiculture in combining effective climate protection with economic use, as well as benefits for the water balance and the microclimate. He considers knowledge transfer, economic incentives, and cooperation among various stakeholder groups to be crucial for further implementation.

Prof. Harald Grethe from Germany estimates that the transition to large-scale rewetting and paludiculture will take between 15 and 25 years. He considers linking rewetting efforts to renewable energy and fostering intensive exchange between science and practice to be central to this process.

Orion Blake, a farmer from the U.S., shares his experiences with wetland farming in the Walkill River Valley. In light of land subsidence and increasing flooding, he sees paludiculture as a sustainable solution, but faces significant resistance. Yet through his own farm, he has been demonstrating for several years how such approaches can be implemented locally and practically.

From a niche concept to almost a trend—GMC Director Franziska Tanneberger provides insight into how paludiculture has developed over the past ten years and how it can best be scaled up in the future. In her view, the RRR conferences since 2013 have contributed to this by connecting stakeholders worldwide and fostering exchange.

Current national funding decisions, such as the Palu Guidelines, are giving the topic of paludiculture an additional boost. The RRR organizers, the Greifswald Mire Centre and the Thünen Institute, are therefore confident that they will once again bring together stakeholders from academia, the field, and politics in 2028 to share knowledge, strengthen networks, and jointly develop concrete approaches for rewetting and the productive wet land use of peatlands .

GMC warns against changes to the EEG

01/06/2026  Peatland based photovoltaic systems could lose their special status: the current draft bill for the EEG amendment proposes scrapping the preferential treatment afforded to PV on peatland installations. The Greifswald Moor Centrum believes this sends the wrong signal at the wrong time.
In a recent statement, the GMC points out that PV on peatlands creates an important incentive for the rewetting of peatlands. The combination of climate protection and renewable energy generation can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands whilst opening up new economic prospects for land use.
If this preferential treatment is removed, rewetting projects could lose momentum. At the same time, there is a risk that photovoltaic systems will continue to be built on drained peatland soils, generating further climate-damaging emissions, whilst opportunities for climate, species and peatland conservation remain untapped. The GMC therefore advocates retaining peatland PV as a technology particularly worthy of support under the EEG.

The full statement on the draft EEG is also available online.

PhotoVoice in Ammerland

Join in!

28/05/2026  Do you enjoy taking photos and sharing your pictures and thoughts on peatlands? Then we have just the thing for you here in the Ammerland district: the interactive photo project “Encounters with the Peatland” as part of the #MOOSland project warmly invites you to capture the diversity of the peatlands in photographs and stories – with several events over three months.

Register by 7 June (via the following link: https://survey.academiccloud.de/f/757768?lang=de) for our kick-off event and become part of our exciting research project on a sustainable future for people and the peatlands.

The interactive photo project entitled “Encounters with the Peatland” is part of the MOOSland collaborative project. It explores what people in Ammerland associate with the peatland and where they encounter it. Over a period of two weeks, participants will capture their images of the peatland and then discuss them. Participation is free of charge.

Further information can be found in the project flyer.