Rewetting peatlands – but how? This new guide provides an overview of the key steps involved in planning, financing and authorising peatland protection projects in Lower Saxony, as well as the associated measures. Commissioned by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the brochure features contributions from Felix Dengler and Ulf Stein on behalf of the Ecologic Institute.

Intact peatlands act as carbon reservoirs and provide a variety of ecological services that are of immense importance to the environment and human well-being. They store water in the landscape, thereby making a significant contribution to stabilising the water balance. As unique habitats, moorlands also help to preserve many rare animal and plant species.

With around 545,900 hectares of carbon-rich soils, Lower Saxony is one of the German federal states with the largest area of moorland. However, much of this has been drained for agricultural and forestry purposes or for peat extraction. In times of climate change, rewetting the moors is therefore essential. But what is the best way to do this? How can peatlands once again become a key component of biodiversity and climate protection?

Target groups and contents

This new brochure provides stakeholders in peatland protection projects in Lower Saxony — including authorities, associations, foundations, private individuals, and agricultural companies — with a tool to simplify and speed up rewetting processes. It covers all relevant aspects of moorland protection projects and illustrates individual project phases and the associated planning content. An initial overview helps to determine which factors should be considered at which stage of a peatland protection project. However, as each moor and project scope can differ greatly, all measures should be coordinated with the relevant local authorities.

An additional chapter presents funding opportunities for peatland protection projects, including EU funding programmes, nationwide funding opportunities and those specific to Lower Saxony. The guide concludes with an initial overview of important contacts for peatland protection in the federal state.

Additional Information

This guide was developed in cooperation between the Michael Succow Foundation, DUENE e.V., the Ecologic Institute, and the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal and Nature Protection Agency (NLWKN).

Similar guides have been or are being developed for other federal states with significant peatlands and are being published in the Greifswald Mire Centre's publication series or in suitable media in the respective federal state.

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation commissioned this publication with funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), as part of the MoorNet project in cooperation with the MoKKa project.