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
http://www.flickr.com/
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-1
a-1 Drainage based
peatlandutilization
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
