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Read the web dossier of the Peatland Atlas 2023
Peatlands are impressive ecosystems. They are rich in rare animal and plant species and can store huge amounts of carbon in their peat soils. In Central Europe, well over 90 percent of the peatlands have been drained. Even today, peatlands are still being destroyed in all parts of the world. About 4 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions come from drained peatlands. These emissions can be reduced if drained peatlands are rewetted - this way the peat is preserved and the carbon is bound in it. However, wet use of large peatland areas poses many challenges for agriculture. The Peatland Atlas highlights the consequences of the destruction of these unique habitats and shows the opportunities of wet peatlands and their use for society in order to encourage all actors to take action.
Product details
Table of contents
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07 FOREWORD
10 TWELVE BRIEF LESSONS ABOUT PEATLAND
12 WHAT ARE MIRES AND PEATLANDS? A VERY SPECIAL ECOSYSTEM
14 PEATLANDS AROUND THE WORLD: UNDER THREAT ALMOST EVERYWHERE
16 PEATLAND DESTRUCTION: HELP NEEDED
18 SUSTAINABILITY GOALS: LIFE-GIVING MOISTURE
20 CLIMATE CRISIS: DRAINED PEATLAND RESULTS IN HEATED PLANET
22 ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY: FALLACIES OF IMPROVEMENT
24 BIODIVERSITY: SAFE HAVENS FOR ECOSYSTEMS IN DANGER
26 PEAT: PEATLANDS’ RAW MATERIAL
28 LIVESTOCK: THE COWS THAT EAT PEAT
30 FORESTRY: PEAT, WIND & FIRE
32 REWETTING: FILL IT UP TO THE TOP
34 EUROPEAN UNION: DEFENDING DIVERSITY
36 EU SUPPLY CHAINS: THE CONSEQUENCES OF CONSUMPTION
38 PALUDICULTURE: MORE FROM THE MARSH
40 ENERGY: SCORCHED EARTH
42 EUROPE: SMALL CONTINENT, ANCIENT LANDSCAPES
44 NORTH AMERICA: ICE AGE LEGACY
46 LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: YOU CANNOT PROTECT WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW
48 SOUTHEAST ASIA: PROGRESS FOR PEATLANDS
50 AFRICA: GUARDIANS OF BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE STABILITY
52 OF MIRES AND MYTHS: NOT JUST A CRIME SCENE
54 TRANSFORMATION: A FEASIBLE OPPORTUNITY – WITHOUT ALTERNATIVE
56 TO READ AND STUDY: AUTHORS AND SOURCES FOR DATA AND GRAPHICS