News/All pieces

New European Peatland Map

now available online

23/09/2025  The European Peatland Map (EPM2025) is now available on our website (including the geodata). It is a product of the Global Peatland Database (GPD), which is hosted at the Greifswald Mire Centre (GMC). It contributes to a consistent and regularly updated knowledge base on peatlands worldwide.

The dataset provides the most up-to-date overview of European peatlands. The EPM2025 integrates current national, regional and local datasets on peatlands and organic soils to represent peatland areas as comprehensively as possible, including degraded and drained peatlands, i.e. those used for agriculture. By providing the data in vector format, the map offers high spatial resolution, making it an indispensable resource for research, policy and nature conservation.

The EPM2025 is based on the peatland layer of the European Wetland Map (2024) but is directly accessible without the need for extraction from the more comprehensive wetland layer. It updates the ‘Peatland Map of Europe’ (Tanneberger et al. 2017), with all national datasets having been reviewed and replaced by more comprehensive or better quality GIS data According to the geodata, the total area of peatland in the countries covered is 38.4 million hectares (384,220 km²).

The EPM2025 was created as part of two EU-funded Horizon projects (ALFAwetlands and WET HORIZONS) and the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) and represents the best available knowledge at European level. More importantly, it is designed as a shared and evolving knowledge base and represents a warm invitation to the scientific and conservation community to further verify, refine, and continuously improve the data at national and regional scales across Europe.

Book of Abstract ready

Get the full picture of RRR2025

20/09/2025  Here ready to be browsed: our Book of Abstract of the 4th international conference on “Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatland - RRR2025. Apart from an overview of the programme and practical information it gives you full descriptions of key notes, excursions, sessions and workshops.

Paludiculture in series

Four free seminars

10/09/2025  Register now for four seminar series ‘Peatland protection and paludiculture’ – online, free of charge and jointly organised by FNR e.V., DBV e.V., DLG e.V. and GMC.
The first seminar on 15 October 2025 will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and focus on ‘Land preparation and cultivation of paludiculture’.

It will cover the following topics:
- Approval procedures and obstacles
- Planning, implementation and cultivation in practice
- Communication as the key to successful projects

further  topics and speakers are:
• From knowledge to change – preserving moorland soils through structured cooperation
Katja Searles – Speaker, Brandenburg State Office for the Environment
• Tasks and obstacles in the approval process
Kerstin Norda – Managing Director, Nature Conservation Foundation of the District of Cuxhaven
• Practical challenges: planning, implementation and cultivation
Anke Nordt – Project Manager PaludiMV, Landgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Click here to register.

MoorMic/KoosMic

Peatland sound live & recorded

2/09/2025  MoorMic/KoosMic – the microphone for the sound of the landscape directly from the coastal peatland – for everyone to listen to! KoosMic, because this new listening station is located on the island of Koos just outside Greifswald. From there, it transmits live and in recorded soundscapes of the surrounding habitats, the sounds of peatland meadows, pastures, and hedges. Wind in the reeds, rain on the shore, cows snorting, cranes calling – depending on the weather and season.

The MoorMic/KoosMic is part of the global acoustic cartography radio.aporee by media artist Udo Noll. He worked on it together with students of “Acoustic Ecologies and Sound Studies” at the Bauhaus University Weimar and their professor Kerstin Ergenzinger. Unobtrusive, virtually maintenance-free, solar-powered, and installed with minimal impact on the landscape – the group has successfully implemented its criteria for the MoorMic/KoosMic. The MoorMic has been transmitting since early summer. It has only had to be moved once so far. Cows had been sniffing at it too wildly.

The listening station is intended to promote awareness and perception of the environment. In line with the interdisciplinary research of “acoustic ecology,” it enables the condition and changes in landscapes to be recorded via sound. It is also about sharing and documenting the sound of the world. Almost everyone captures their world in pictures and videos, but what about sound snippets?

The island sound of the marshy coast of Greifswald Bay is available thanks to MoorMic/KoosMic – from anywhere, anytime, and for everyone. For a listening session, simply tune in at radio.aporee.org:8443/koosmic.

Agriculture on Europe's peatlands?

New map shows where

1/09/2025  Across Europe many wetlands are drained for agriculture, releasing vast amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Identifying where these drainage “hot spots” occur—whether for arable crops or grassland—is critical to promoting wet alternatives such as paludiculture.
As part of the project Building the European Peatlands Initiative: A Strong Alliance for Peatland Climate Protection in Europe, researchers have combined the latest European Wetland Map with land cover data to produce a new map showing the agricultural use of peatlands in the European Union and several neighboring countries (Verlinkung von GMC). This map offers valuable insights for policymakers, conservationists, and the interested public seeking sustainable solutions. The map is based on data from the Global Peatland Database (GPD), which collates and integrates data on location, extent and drainage status of peatlands and organic soils worldwide and for 268 individual countries and regions.
The project is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Project partners include Eurosite, CEEweb and the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO).

Pioniering for more practice

in planting reed

27/08/2025  80,000 young plants have been planted in the Bargischow-Süd polder in Vorpommern since mid-July. An impressive action! As part of the Paludi-MV project, a dense, high-quality reed bed is to be created here for agricultural use. A tractor with a strip tiller has drawn long rows in the grass on the previous grassland before a soil auger prepared the planting holes, and the seedlings were transported and planted in the field using a quad. After planting, the area will be flooded. The harvest is planned for winter when the plants have lost their leaves and no birds are nesting. In the past, fodder for livestock was grown here, but due to high water levels and soil degradation, the quality was inadequate. Long-term drainage has decomposed the peat, and the polder has settled by over a meter in height. Today, it is therefore one meter below sea level. This is where the reeds come into play as an alternative! They can be used for thatched roof, plaster carriers, insulation boards or cellulose for papers and cartons. Since experience in reed cultivation is still rare, PaludiMV is examining the costs and challenges of planning and implementation.

The pilot project "Paludi-MV" is jointly implemented by the Landgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mbH und der Universität Greifswald , and it is funded by the  Federal Ministry for the Environment . The goal is to test paludiculture on two polder areas: Bargischow-Süd (LK Vorpommern-Greifswald) and Sandhagen (LK Mecklenburg Lake District).

Capturing the value of wetlands – digitally

The Paludiculture Interview

25/08/2025  What is the value of peatlands? How can the ecosystem values of rewetted areas in particular be captured and quantified? With the Moormonitor, product designer and peatland enthusiast Milan Bergheim and his colleagues in the Valpeats project are developing an economical and practical monitoring system for this purpose. The aim is to enable peatland areas to be rewetted more quickly and over a larger area and used for paludiculture. Read the full interview here.

Moorkoffer, the Second

Even Moore Fun and a Song Collection

28/07/2025  The Moorkoffer 2 (in german) is not a finished suitcase – it is a collection of educational materials for peatland and climate education, designed for teachers, environmental educators, volunteers, and anyone actively engaged in education for sustainable development.
The publication contains 50 methods: from soil drilling and role-playing games to experiments, meditations, and creative reflection formats. These methods are flexible, location-based, and adaptable to different needs – they can be used even without access to a real peatland. All materials are freely available and can be used and shared under the CC BY-NC license, meaning non-commercial use with attribution.
Additionally, there's the musical audio play "Im Libellenwunderland" (in german) for children in daycare centers and primary schools, which playfully explores topics such as biodiversity, water scarcity, and climate change. It is available on Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud. The booklet “IM.MOOR.SEIN.”, designed to promote mindful sensory experiences in peatlands, guides individuals and groups of all ages through all four seasons. All materials were developed as part of the MoKKa project by the Succow Foundation and the University of Greifswald.

RRR2025 - Programme & Highlights

Check it out now!

24/07/2025  From hands-on workshops to eye-opening excursions, the 4th International Conference on Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatlands (RRR2025) promises a rich and diverse experience. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world will come together to discover paludiculture from all perspectives: in 2 key notes, 82 oral and 66 poster presentations.

Programme highlights include:

• Workshops – In-depth sessions for collaboration, training, and knowledge exchange
• Excursions – Visits to innovative peatland sites with Eddy towers, solar panels, and more
• Paludiculture Exhibition – Latest products made from wetland biomass
• Paludishow and conference dinner – A joyful and interactive evening of learning and entertainment great for networking
• Creative side events – Including a zombie fire documentary and immersive peatland soundscapes

Register by 15 August 2025 to secure your place in this unique international gathering.
Details and registration: rrr2025.com
Questions? Contact us at: info@rrr2025.com

Please feel free to share this information with colleagues or partners who might be interested.

Paludi Product Catalogue, ProMoFa and more

New issue of the Paludiculture Newsletter

20/07/2025  The new issue of the Paludiculture Newsletter is here – packed with highlights and background information on peatland conservation and paludiculture!

Some topics in the current issue:

• Programme highlights of RRR2025 – more information about the international conference
• The big collecting: the Paludi Product Catalog aims to showcase current products in one place
• Peatlands & Defense – an unusual perspective
• Regional insights: Peatland conservation how-tos – handouts for Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein
• ProMoFa project in Bavaria – results and practical insights
• Valpeats & Peatland monitor – an interview on the digital assessment of peatland areas

Also: new publications, and an overview of current events on peatlands, climate protection, and paludiculture in the calendar. We hope you enjoy reading and welcome feedback on the newsletter by email to communication@greifswaldmoor.de.