Peatlands as climate protectors

In short: Peatlands are wet landscapes in which dead plants are not fully decomposed but build up as peat over thousands of years. As a result they store huge amounts of carbon.

In more detail: As long as a peatland stays wet, it locks carbon away permanently. If it is drained, air reaches the peat, it decomposes, and the stored carbon escapes into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

In detail

• How peat forms: Waterlogged soil lacks oxygen, so microorganisms break down dead plant remains only very slowly; the peat layer typically grows by only about one millimetre a year.
• Small area, large store: Peatlands cover only a few per cent of the Earth’s land surface but, according to common estimates, store more carbon than all the world’s forests combined.
• Bogs and fens: Raised bogs are fed only by rain and are low in nutrients, while fens are supplied by groundwater or spring water.
• Peat mosses: Raised bogs are dominated by sphagnum mosses, which can hold a lot of water and acidify their surroundings.
• Drainage in Germany: Most of Germany’s peatlands have been drained for farming, forestry and peat extraction; according to the German Environment Agency these areas cause a noticeable share of national greenhouse gas emissions.
• Rewetting: If the water table is raised again, decomposition largely stops and the area can bind carbon again in the long term.
• Paludiculture: This is the term for farming wet peat soils, for example with reeds, bulrushes or peat mosses, so that farmers can still harvest on rewetted land.
• Habitat: Peatlands are home to specialised plant and animal species such as sundew and are important water stores in the landscape.
• Peat-free gardening: Using peat-free compost in the garden or on the balcony helps ensure that fewer peatlands are dug up (artensterben-und-biodiversitaet, kohlenstoffkreislauf, bodenerosion-ursachen-und-folgen).