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by NK (comments: 0)
COP30 is a chance for peatlands
We are taking it at these events
15/11/2025 Trying to make maximum impact for peatlands at COP30 in Brazil with Franziska Tanneberger, co-director of the Greifswald Mire Centre, on the ground at these events:
17.11. Security from the Ground Up: Soils and the Foundations of Resilience
This high-level session will explore how land restoration, soil governance, and ecosystem recovery (e.g. peatland rewetting) can advance climate resilience, post-war reconstruction for example in Ukraine, and regional stability — building security from the ground up.
????️ Monday, 17th November 2025, 10:30-12:00 a.m. (local time in Belém), 14:30 (CET)
???? Ukraine Pavilion
???? More info: Security from the Ground Up: Soils and the Foundations of Resilience
17.11.: Mainstreaming NBS for climate resilience in EAC
The side event showcases how East Africa is advancing climate-resilient development through Nature-based Solutions—from large-scale landscape restoration to sustainable peatland management—while strengthening regional cooperation and highlighting pathways for partnership financing and policy integration.
???? Monday, 17th November 2025, 11-12:30 (local time in Belém),15 (CET)
???? EAC Pavilion C-72
17.11. The Peatland Breakthrough: From Evidence to Action
Together, we’ll explore how evidence-based action can accelerate peatland conservation, restoration and sustainable use as essential pathways for climate mitigation, biodiversity protection and resilient communities.
????️ Monday, 17th November 2025, 14:30–15:30 (local time in Belém), 18:30 (CET)
???? Nature Hub Pavilion, Blue Zone
???? Register: The Peatland Breakthrough: From Evidence to Action
17.11. Peatland Breakthrough
This event will explore how the Peatland Breakthrough is catalyzing global action, and uniting countries, communities, and companies to restore and protect one of the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystems: peatlands
???? Monday, 17th November 2025, 18:30—20:00 (local time in Belém), 22:30 (CET)
???? Side Event Room 1, Blue Zone
???? Register: PEATLAND BREAKTHROUGH: A Global Call to Unlock the Power of Peatlands
???? Livestreaming available for COP30 virtual-only registered participants
20.11.: Nature-based Climate Action as a Key Instrument for achieving Germany's Climate Target
The side event presents the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Board for Germany’s Nature-based Climate Action (WBNK) for the further development of the Action Plan. The event will particularly focus on peatland restoration and rewetting on different continents.
????️ Thursday, 20th November 2025, 10:15-11:15 (local time in Belém) 2:15 p.m. (CET)
???? German Pavilion
???? More info: https://german-climate-pavilion.de/?pgm=124&nav=14&language=eng&tz=America%2FBelem
21.11.: Signing Joint Declaration between International Tropical Peatland Centre and Greifswald Mire Centre
????️ Friday, 21st November 2025, 10:15-11:15 (GMT-3)
???? Indonesia Pavilion Open Stage, Blue Zone
???? More info: https://www.tropicalpeatlands.org/event/signing-joint-declaration-between-itpc-and-greifswald-mire-centre-germany
21.11.: Integrating Peatland Restoration and FOLU within the Global Carbon Market Framework
Tropical peatlands play a critical role in global climate regulation as long-term carbon reservoirs. Nevertheless, their contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation is increasingly threatened by degradation, insufficient financial support, and uncertainties in emerging carbon market mechanisms.
????️ Friday, 21st November 2025, 15:50–16:20 (GMT-3)
???? Indonesia Pavilion Main Stage, Blue Zone
???? More info: https://www.tropicalpeatlands.org/event/integrating-peatland-restoration-and-folu-within-the-global-carbon-market-framework
All events at #COP30 ????Belém, Brazil (CET-4)
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
Paludi Summer School 2026
Application now open!
14/11/2025 From 8 to 17 June 2026, the Paludi Summer School will take place at the Thünen-Institute in Braunschweig and at the Greifswald Mire Centre. It is primarily aimed at PhD candidates and other early-career scientists involved in PaludiNetz projects. Remaining places will be allocated to applicants outside the PaludiNetz in a second selection process.
A central goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary exchange and to network participants both with each other and with experts from research and practice. The focus is on jointly developing and deepening knowledge about paludiculture. The programme is supplemented by practical tasks, interactive workshops and excursions to project sites, rounded off by a number of leisure activities that provide opportunities for exchange and networking. Each participant is asked to give a presentation on their own research topic – an opportunity to share ideas, receive feedback and learn from each other.
Registrations are open until 31 December 2025 via this form.
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
New: Eddy tower on peat moss
for accurate greenhouse gas emissions
14/11/2025 A brand new eddy covariance tower has recently been installed on one of the pilot sites in the MOOSland project. It continuously records CO₂ and methane fluxes across the entire area, including causeways, ditches and peat mosses. Over the next eight years, scientists want to use it to measure how climate-friendly a peat moss paludiculture is.
The ‘Eddy’ took a day and three people to set it up, plus a lot of preparatory work, of course, such as testing the equipment in the laboratory, laying power cables to the site and building a rudimentary platform out of planks. The tripod was built up within four hours on site. Then, electrical boxes and data loggers were attached to the tower. These are responsible for communication between the instruments, including CO₂ and methane sensors, a camera, a pressure gauge and a router for data transmission to the outside world. Each instrument has its own IP address for remote access. This not only enables the instruments to be accessed, but also controlled – a special feature of this Eddy tower that goes beyond the standard. The following day, only a little fine-tuning was needed to optimise the angles, distances and alignment of the sensors. Now the ‘Eddy’ is up and running, and the scientists expect to receive the first evaluations in about a month.
Why it matters: The collected data provides a reliable basis for policymakers, businesses and researchers to assess and optimise the climate impact of peat moss paludiculture. Further insights in the set up can be seen in this video (in German).
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
3 new funding programmes for paludiculture projects
Paludiculture in practice, young scientists, water and nutrient management – new calls for proposals will be issued in October. Ideas can be developed and submitted until the end of January 2026.
10/11/2025 The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (BMLEH) wants to further promote climate protection through peatland conservation and is intensifying its research funding. The three calls for funding address paludiculture management techniques, water and nutrient management, and young scientists.
Funding for ‘‘Research into innovative cultivation techniques for paludiculture“ is intended to support practical research with rapidly available technology and knowledge transfer in the field of land management and the extraction of renewable raw materials from paludiculture. The Ministry is offering young researchers up to five years of funding for the collection and modelling of data on rewetted moorland sites. Funding for „Water and nutrient management of paludiculture“ is intended to generate knowledge on the hydrology and nutrient supply of wet moors and paludiculture at the regional level.
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
What's, when it's wet
New lecture series
05/11/2025 In the six-part public lecture series ‘Neue Moorlandschaften“ (German only), researchers report on how new ecosystems are emerging from drained areas, how they function – and what opportunities they offer. The lecture series accompanies the WETSCAPES2.0 Collaborative Research Centre at the University of Greifswald, which is researching how rewetted fens function.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kreyling, spokesperson for WETSCAPES2.0, will kick off the series with his lecture ‘Moorlandschaften 2.0 – Was ist das und wie funktionieren sie?’ (Peatlands 2.0 – What are they and how do they work?).
Monday, 10 November 2025, 6 p.m.
Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg, Martin-Luther-Straße 14, Greifswald
Online participation possible via the college's digital lecture hall
Further information and dates:
https://www.wiko-greifswald.de/programm/vortraege/vortragsreihen-im-sommersemester-2025/wetscapes-20/
The Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 410 WETSCAPES 2.0 is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and supported by the University of Greifswald and the University of Rostock.
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
Peatland Breakthrough
A Global Call to Unlock the Power of Peatlands for Climate, Nature and People. This session will explore how the Peatland Breakthrough is catalyzing global action, uniting countries, communities, and companies to restore and protect one of the world’s most carbon-dense ecosystems.
04/11/2025 This official side event is a pre-launch milestone for the Peatland Breakthrough, a high-ambition global effort under the UNFCCC 2030 Breakthrough Agenda, and a call to action and commitment to scale up efforts towards the conservation, restoration, and sustainable, wise use of peatlands. Engaging with a broad audience from the whole of society, this event presents the Peatland Breakthrough and its Science-Based Framework for Global Targets and Guiding Principles, and announces the opening of its endorsement process. There will be two roundtables; the first with Ministers and high-level government representatives to share their national perspectives and commitments to advancing the Peatland Breakthrough. A second roundtable will engage non-state actors to share their experiences and how they can contribute to the Peatland Breakthrough, demonstrating how involving different actors is key to transforming the targets into practical action and impacts on the ground.
The session will highlight the growing coalition of Champion Countries and partners, showcasing how collective leadership and multi-sector partnerships can mobilize knowledge, policy, and finance for transformative peatland action. The discussion will build momentum and shared ownership of the Peatland Breakthrough, reaffirming peatlands as critical ecosystems for climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, water security, and resilient livelihoods.
???? Monday, 17th November 2025, 18:30—20:00 (GMT-3)
???? Side Event Room 1, Blue Zone, UNFCCC COP30, Belém Brazil
???? In-person, register here
???? Livestreaming available for COP30 virtual-only registered participants
The is event is co-organised by by Wetlands International, the Michael Succow Foundation (partner in the Greifswald Moor Centrum), Global Environment Centre and the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU), in collaboration with the other Peatland Breakthrough partners, including FAO, the Global Peatlands Initiative, Landscape Finance Lab, UN Environment Programme and the Convention on Wetlands
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
New legal opinion
for peatland-friendly water management
27/10/2025 Peatlands play a key role in climate protection, but their rewetting often fails or is complicated due to legal hurdles and regulatory frameworks. A new opinion paper entitled “Legal recommendations and interpretation of water law for peatland-friendly water management in Germany” prepared by Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlacke, analyzes how water law in Germany needs to be adapted, particularly for sustainable peatland use. The key message: peatland-friendly water management is essential for the preservation of peatlands as CO₂ reservoirs and for adaptation to climate change, and must therefore be promoted – especially in the federal states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The report contains recommendations for action by politicians and administrators to create legal certainty for land users and nature conservation.
The recommendations in the report are particularly relevant for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, as the Ministry of Agriculture has presented a draft amendment to the state water law, which is currently being discussed by the committees of the state parliament. This presents an opportunity to include provisions to facilitate procedures for peatland rewetting.
The report is aimed at decision-makers in politics, administration, and agriculture and shows concrete ways in which water law can better support peatland conservation measures. It is a publication of the GMC proceedings, developed in the MoKKA project by the University of Greifswald the Succow Foundation.
by Berit Krondorf (comments: 0)
Peatlands at Futurium
Join the discussion on October 9!
3/10/2025 “More peatlands! But how?” – Futurium, the Joachim Herz Foundation, and the Greifswald Mire Centre are hosting an event under this title on October 9 in the heart of Berlin. Peatlands are key CO₂ reservoirs and, at the same time, controversial interests concerning land use. How can climate protection, agriculture, and local interests be reconciled? This question will be the focus of the expert discussion with visitor participation. from 19:30 p.m.
Moderator Katie Gallus will talk to:
• Lucas Gerrits, co-founder and managing director of Zukunft Moor GmbH
• Juliane Petri, farmer and agricultural consultant from Rhinluch/Kremmen
• Dr. Franziska Tanneberger, Director of the Greifswald Mire Centre
• René Seltmann, Agricultural Consultant for Peatland Protection at the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU)
The event at Futurium, Alexanderufer 2 in Berlin, is free of charge, but registration is required.
by NK (comments: 0)
At New York Climate Week
Momentum building for the Peatland Breakthrough
26/09/2025 Peatland Breakthrough is a call-to-action that aspires to enable systemic changes to protect and restore peatlands on a large scale. By bringing together governments, the private sector, donors, and civil society, the Breakthrough aims to help accelerate conservation, restoration, and sustainable and wise use of peatlands worldwide, guided by robust science-based targets and principles.
During New York Climate Week 2025, 25th September, governments, donors, international organisations, and the private sector, gathered for an exclusive high-level meeting hosted by the Government of Peru and partners of the Peatland Breakthrough. The meeting was a pivotal opportunity to mobilise broad support and strengthen partnerships to drive the Peatland Breakthrough forward, ensuring that peatlands are recognized as a key nature based solution for accelerating progress for the global climate agenda, while also contributing to biodiversity, water security, and sustainable livelihoods.
Peatland ecosystems hold unparalleled significance in combating climate change and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. They cover only 3% of global land surface but store up to one-third of the planet's soil carbon, double the carbon found in the world’s forest biomass. Beyond their climate mitigation benefits, peatlands enhance community and ecosystem resilience by regulating water flows, reducing flood and drought risks, providing critical habitats for flora and fauna, supporting livelihoods, and enhancing water quality. In fact, the estimated global value of peatland ecosystem services is about USD 2.3 trillion.
Unfortunately, peatlands are being degraded in every part of the world. They are drained for agriculture and forestry, eroded by overgrazing of livestock, mined for fuel and horticulture, and polluted by human activity. Infrastructure development disturbs their hydrology and many are deliberately burned. When we lose peatlands as healthy thriving ecosystems, we not only lose their ability to capture carbon, but conversely, they release large amounts of greenhouse gases. Degraded peatlands currently emit about 4 % of all anthropogenic emissions. Conserving and sustainably managing peatlands and restoring degraded ones must therefore be prioritised to accelerate progress in tackling climate change.
The meeting brought together potential Champion Countries and strategic partners to learn more about the Peatland Breakthrough, explore how they could contribute, and understand the benefits of engaging with this new climate breakthrough, both in the lead-up to its official launch and throughout its implementation. The event was hosted by Juan Carlos Castro Vargas, Minister of Environment of Peru, who emphasized Peru’s role as the first Champion Country of the Peatland Breakthrough.
Peru’s Minister of Environment emphasized the importance of collective action among countries, the private sector, and international partners to achieve clear, measurable goals for peatland protection and climate ambition.
Following presentations on the initiative, roundtable discussions featured high-level participants from the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, who reaffirmed their commitments and highlighted the need for adequate financing to achieve their national climate targets.
Wetlands International, on behalf of Peatland Breakthrough partners, outlined the initiative’s draft global targets and guiding principles aimed at driving systemic change and collective impact. The organization underscored that investing in peatlands offers one of the most effective climate solutions—combining carbon storage, ecosystem resilience, and economic efficiency.
Potential donors and partners including The Nature Conservancy, Diageo, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies expressed interest in contributing to the effort, exploring opportunities to align their work and investments with the global peatland and climate agendas.
Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin, and Executive Secretary of the Congo Basin Climate Commission of the Republic of Congo, reaffirmed her country’s commitments to conserving the Congo Basin’s intact peatlands. She emphasized that conservation cannot be achieved without adequate financing for the energy transition and the country’s NDCs, which depend both on domestic resources and international support. In addition, high-level representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia presented their ongoing peatland programmes and shared the challenges they face, agreeing that the Peatland Breakthrough can help mobilize critical funding needed to meet their climate goals.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasized the importance of the Peatland Breakthrough for achieving global climate goals and its relevance to the Paris Agreement, particularly ahead of the upcoming events at UNFCCC COP30. Collaboration and leadership from governments and donors are crucial to unlocking the full potential of peatlands. UNEP presented the current state of the world’s peatlands and progress made through joint initiatives such as the Global Peatlands Initiative and its Global Peatlands Assessment, highlighting that peatlands are a cost-effective nature-based solution that must not be overlooked.
Mara Angélica Murillo-Correa, Senior Programme Officer for Intergovernmental Affairs at UNEP, summed it up: “No Paris without peatlands.” Protecting and restoring peatlands is essential to closing the emissions gap and safeguarding biodiversity. The Peatland Breakthrough provides the political momentum and financial ambition to turn scientific knowledge into transformative global action.
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, the Greifswald Mire Centre, and the Landscape Finance Lab, developed in close alignment with the Global Peatlands Initiative, and in collaboration with the High-Level Climate Champions Team and the Convention on Wetlands.
Our growing list of supporting partners includes: the Global Environment Centre, RE-PEAT, and The Nature Conservancy.
Image 1: Environmental ministers and leaders from NGOs and the private sector at the Permanent Mission of Peru to the UN, New York (Credit: GPI)
Image 2: Roundtable discussions ensued following exciting presentations on the Peatland Breakthrough (Credit: GPI)
by NK (comments: 0)
Superfresh: the first ever
Paludi Product Catalogue
24/09/2025 Freshly launched at RRR2025 conference : The first ever Paludi Product Catalogue! With as many pilot products, prototyps and services related to paludiculture as we could assemble. The aim is to provide a comprehensive over view and to show how diverse, innovative and marketable this new form of land use already is today.
To showcase the innovative potential of this field and highlight the diversity of existing products the catalogue is intended for:
• Farmers – to demonstrate the existing demand for paludiculture biomass across a wide range of products.
• Companies – that already process paludiculture biomass or plan to do so, offering inspiration and opportunities for networking
• Research, policymakers, and society
What makes it special: It is open to further contributions and will be regularly updated and expanded in the future. All new and existing Paludi products can be included.
The catalogue is launched at the "Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatlands - 4th International Conference on the Utilisation of Wetland Plants", which is part of the project PaludiZentrale. If you would like to place a product in the catalogue, you can contact the catalogue team by email at produktkatalog@greifswaldmoor.de.