News
2024
GMC on PSC Freising
Overview of our contributions
10/09/2024 From 18th-21st September 2024, the Peatland Science Centre at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences invites you to the International Peatland Science Conference (iPSC). Numerous GMC members are participating with presentations and posters. Here is an overview of them:
Thursday, 19th September
14:45 Mehr als ein Papiertiger: Paludikultur-Pilotprojekte in der Papierherstellung – Clemens Kleinspehn
14.45 Microbial community development during and after rewetting a coastal peatland - Sara E. Anthony
15:00 Paludiculture can support biodiversity conservation in rewetted fen peatlands – Hanna R. Martens
15:30 Sphagnum paludiculture sites as surrogate habitats for bog species of many species groups – results of long-term investigation in Northwest Germany – Dr. Greta Gaudig
Friday, 20th September
8:30 Opening with environmental Art “MoorReaktor” - MONAS collective in cooperation with GMC
13:20 Keynote People make Peatlands – practical projects and political processes towards peatland rewetting - Prof. Dr. Gerald Jurasinski:
15:30 Water Management for Spaghnum and Typha Paludiculture – Matthias Krebs
16:00 Bright spots in peatland conservation and restoration Renske Vroom
16:00 Putting Paludicultur into practice – six years of large scale Typha cultivation in Northeast Germany – Josephine Neubert
16:15 Peat formation potential of Typha spp. On a Paludiculture pilot site – Meline Brendel
16:30 PEATMAP: Prototyp model for the study of peatland and swob distribution, ecology and carbon dynamics in the Iberian Peninsula lanscaoe mosaic - Miguel Geraldes
16:30 Paludiculture and biomass quality of cattail on a 10 ha Paludiculture Pilot site in Northeast Germany – Nora Köhn
Dr Franziska Tanneberger, GMC co-director and winner of the German Environmental Award 2024, is a member of the Scientific Committee. The conference will take place at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT) campus in Freising. Please find further information in the detailed programme booklet.
Biogenic polymers, biochar, peat moss harvesting
New paludiculture newsletter
25/07/2024 Biogenic polymers and biochar - both can be related to paludiculture and are the subject of the latest issue of our newsletter. A look at the final report from MOORuse reveals that natural fibres from paludiculture are suitable as biogenic polymers in terms of sustainability, for example for injection moulding or 3D printing. In England, researchers are investigating whether biochar on paludiculture areas increases their carbon storage. We present the interactive online version of the Global Peatland Map and a legal report on rewetting in Germany and its obstacles. And of particular interest to land users: information on current funding for machinery and equipment for paludiculture!
We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and would be pleased to receive feedback on it by e-mail to communication@greifswaldmoor.de.
Invitation: Conclusion "TyphaSubstrat"
50% less peat is possible
22/07/2024 The aim of the three-year TyphaSubstrat project - harvesting and utilising cattail as an alternative substrate material for press pot soil in vegetable growing - was to develop a peat-reduced press pot soil with up to 50% less peat. At the final event on 5 September in Darmstadt, the project participants will present their results. These show: 50% peat reduction in pressed potting soil is possible! Presentations and dialogue in the morning at the Forschungsring e.V. in Darmstadt will be complemented by a tour of the practical tests in a vegetable nursery and a young plant farm near Mannheim. Detailed information on registration and the programme can be found here.
TyphaSubstrat focuses on cattail in a mixture with other peat substitute components such as sphagnum, green waste compost and wood for press pots, on which lettuce and vegetables are grown commercially. In addition, special technology for harvesting cattail was further developed in the project, and cattail raw material was analysed with regard to substrate properties, including pesticides and herbicides. By reducing the use of peat and utilising paludiculture biomass, TyphaSubstrat makes a dual contribution to the transformation towards climate-neutral use of wet peatlands (paludiculture) and demonstrates possibilities for sustainable substrate production. The proven suitability of cattail biomass as an alternative substrate offers the industry a new renewable raw material that can be produced regionally. A step towards a long-term secure and climate-friendly raw material supply and a contribution to peatland protection. TyphaSubstrat is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture via the Agency for Renewable Resources (Fachagentur für nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.).
Global Peatland Map 2.0!
Now online
18/07/2024 The GMC's Global Peatland Map is now available online and interactive! It comprises eleven pages and covers a wide range of topics, such as the extent of peatlands per country, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity hotspots, peatlands in protected areas and sources of fire. A series of story maps “Peatlands in the Continents” will complement the Global Peatland Map 2.0. for a detailed look at regions offering key facts on peatland distribution, degradation and options for action. Visually intuitive, easy to navigate and beautifully designed, a first story map on Asian Peatlands can already be tried out.
The web version of the Global Peatland Map is based on data from the Global Peatlands Assessment from 2022, which summarized the best available scientific data to provide an overview of the state of peatlands worldwide. As a partner in the Global Peatlands Initiative, the GMC's map specialists created the online version in close cooperation with the World Environment Situation Room of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Climate, water, biodiversity in peatlands and floodplains
Statement of the Leopoldina
27/06/2024 Climate, water, biodiversity - how this is connected in peatlands and floodplains, what condition it is in and how it can be improved - is now summarized in Climate - Water Balance - Biodiversity: For an integrative use of moors and floodplains, the statement published today by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. "Nowhere in Central Europe is biodiversity as high as in these wetlands," says Leopoldina member Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung. Near-natural peatlands and floodplains are also essential for preventing flood disasters and reducing CO2 emissions. The statement with supplementary digital dossier emphasizes the need to rewet peatlands and restore floodplains. Both are already enshrined as climate and biodiversity goals, for the EU for example in the Nature Restoration Law recently adopted by the EU Environment Council and worldwide in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The latter provides for the protection and restoration of at least 30% of the world's land, freshwater and marine areas by 2030. The statement now presents options for action to achieve national and international commitments in climate, water and biodiversity protection and still be able to use these areas economically. This includes protecting intact peatlands, switching to paludiculture, rewarding ecosystem services and including the measures in CO2 emissions trading. Twelve scientists from the fields of ecology, biology, hydrology, sociology, agricultural engineering, environmental economics and law were involved - including Dr. Franziska Tanneberger and Prof. Jürgen Kreyling, two scientists from the Greifswald Mire Centre.