Foto: S. Wichmann Foto: C. Schröder Foto: C. SchröderFoto: S. Wichmann

The CINDERELLA project:Paludiculture for GHG emissions mitigation in peatlands

Wendelin Wichtmann

Aim of the project: Progressing paludicultures after centuries of peatland destruction and neglect

Cinderella Syndrom

After Paris agreement and COP in Bonn: No Paris without Peatlands

• like other sectors, also agriculture must reduce GHG emissions 0

• peatland utilisation must adapt to climate change

• peat soils can only be used on the long run, if peat is fully preserved: reducing speed of peat decomposition is no solution

• peatlands can be highly productive without being arable land or grassland

www.flickr.com, 16.5.2017

Drainage based management of peatlands

Subsidies• Direct payments

• Renewable energy (biogas, biofuel)

• Agri-environment-climate schemes

• Organic farming

additional costs for society (values for NE Germany; Schäfer 2016)

Use category GHG-emissions Damage costs Value creation

Unit t CO2-e. ha-1 a-1 EUR ha-1 a-1 EUR ha-1 a-1

Dairy farms 24 1,920 282

Cattle farms 8.5 - 15 680 - 1,200 -66

damage costs >> value creation

Maik Stegmann

In Germany peatland agriculture causes annually a climatedamage of € 3.6 billion, and gets 300 million EU-grants (CC)

Use of peatlands and GHG emissions

Meta-Analysis for CO2 (n=236) and CH4 (n=339) emissions (Couwenberg et al. in prep.)

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

-150 -100 -50 0 50

t C

O2

e h

a-1a-1

Drainage basedpeatland

utilization

Paludiculture

Emissions-

reduction

rewetting

Arable use, drainage based utilization, peat extract

Alder

Reed, Sedges, Cattail

Reed Canary Grass

Low intensity utilization

Nature protected grasslands

Peat moss

mean annual water table (cm)

Drainage based management of peatlands

No Go!

Rewetting

Polder Immenstedt, rewetted in 2014; photo W. Wichtmann 2016

• Raise water tablesmaximum GHG emissionsreduction

– Winter: flooded conditions (full inundation)

– Summer: medium groundwater table at +25 – -25 cm

• Measures:

– Remove amelioration systems

• Stop/reduce pumping

• Damming of ditches

• Slopy areas: dams on contour lines

Natural succession after rewetting

9

peat preservation, climate protection + agriculture:

Paludiculture!

Paludiculture*

• Cultivation of biomass on wet and rewetted peatlands

bog: peat moss

fen: Common Reed, Reed Canary Grass, Sedges, Alder, Cattail...

• Utilisation of biomass for industry and energy

peat conservation

reducing GHG emissions

replacing fossil resources

*„palus“ – lat.: swamp

Wet grasslands

Paludiculture

Foto: www.lensescape.org

Cultlivation of paludicrops

Foto: W. Wichtmann

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacia)

productivity: 3.5 – 15 t DM/ha*a

emissions: 12 t CO2eq/ha*a

Common Reed (Phragmites australis)

productivity: 3 – >25 t DM/ha*a

emissions: 10 t CO2eq/ha*a

www.kuleuven-kulak.be

Sedges (Carex spp.)

3 – 12 t DM/ha*a

0 – 8 t CO2 -eq / ha*a

Cattail (Typha spec.)

Productivity : 5 - 22 t DM/ha*a

Emissions: 10 - 15 t CO2eq/ha*a

Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa)

productivity: 3 – 10 t DM/ha*a

emissions: 0 t CO2eq/ha*a

General aims of CINDERELLA

• Increase knowledge

• Make paludiculture accessible to farmers and land authorities

promote paludiculture

• Nutrient retention

Selected Results from Cinderella

(d.b.) S: t*ha-1 W: t*ha-1

Phragm. aus. 10-16-32 4-6-8*

Typha lat. 11-17-22 8.5-9-10

Motives

BarriersRewetting?

OK

?

• Characterisation of plant species

• Economics

• productivity/site conditions

• Yield and nutrient uptake

• Surveys/incentives

Field days and stakeholder meetings

Consultancy on all levels urgently necessary

rrr2017 Conference

• 200 participants from

• 26 countries

Conference statement

– Recognition of paludiculture as agriculture

– Stop counterproductive incentives

– Application of the polluter pays principle

– Rewarding ecosystem services

– Accounting of GHG emissions from peatland use in the reporting for UNFCCC

Adjustment is required on national and on EU level

Framework conditions for paludiculture

Peatlands must be wet: for the climate, for the land, for

the people, for ever…

Foto: S. Wichmann Foto: C. Schröder Foto: C. SchröderFoto: S. Wichmann

www.paludiculture.de