Peatlands are often seen as dark, eerie places – the setting for murder mysteries and spooky tales. But these unique ecosystems may hold the key to addressing the climate crisis. While humans have been decimating peatlands for centuries, new research and innovative approaches could help restore these vital carbon sinks.
Across Europe, scientists and environmentalists are working to revive peatlands and develop more sustainable ways to use them. In Germany, ecologist Greta Gaudig and her team at the Greifswald Mire Centre are exploring “paludiculture” – agriculture on wetlands. By cultivating sphagnum moss, a key peat-forming plant, they hope to provide a renewable alternative to peat in horticulture, replacing a fossil fuel with a sustainable material.
Meanwhile, in Finland, Tero Mustonen and his nonprofit Snowchange have overseen the rewilding of over 80 damaged peatland areas. At the Linnunsuo site, which was previously strip-mined for fuel, the restoration efforts have transformed the landscape, allowing migratory birds and over 200 other species to return. The project has turned a former carbon source into a carbon sink, sequestering up to 100 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Across the Atlantic, researchers at the Marcell Experimental Forest in Minnesota are studying the impact of climate change on peatlands. By heating up peat samples in glass towers, they can simulate future warming scenarios and better understand how these ecosystems will respond. Their findings are feeding into the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, raising awareness of the critical importance of peatlands.
Despite covering just 3% of the world’s land area, peatlands store twice as much carbon as the global forest biomass. These unsung champions of the carbon cycle could become the key to mitigating climate change, but only if we act quickly to protect and restore them. With innovative approaches like plasticulture, as well as ambitious rewilding projects, the future of peatlands – and our planet – looks a little brighter.
Photo by Denny Müller
The Trash Economy 