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Atlas

Peatland Atlas 2023

Facts and figures about wet climate guardians
Series
For free

German version

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
Date of Publication
September 2023
Publisher
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, BUND, Global Peatlands Initiative & Succow Stiftung
Number of Pages
60
Licence
Language of publication
English
ISBN / DOI
978-9-46400749-7
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