Peatland protection pays off - Massive conservation and restoration is needed Press release With more than two billion tonnes of CO2, the draining of peatlands is responsible for about 4% of all human-made emissions globally. This is outlined in the Peatland Atlas 2023 - Facts and figures on wet climate guardians, published today by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the Michael Succow Stiftung (partners in the Greifswald Mire Centre) and BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland/Friends of the Earth Germany), with support of the Global Peatlands Initiative. By Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung , Succow Stiftung , BUND für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland and Global Peatlands Initiative
Africa: guardians of biodiversity and climate stability Peatland Atlas 2023 Some of the world’s most important and most recently recognized peatlands can be found on the African continent. They are home to unique and rare flora and fauna – and threatened by the oil companies’ greed for money. By Irene Wabiwa Betoko , Samer Elshehawi and Inka Dewitz
Peatlands around the world: under threat almost everywhere Peatland Atlas 2023 Peatlands exist in the mountains, in lowlands, along rivers and at the coast. Their vegetation and condition vary from one climate zone to another, but all types of peatland have one thing in common: their continued existence is in danger. By Dr. Alexandra Barthelmes
Peatlands in the Congo Basin: Climate guardians under threat Peatland Atlas 2023 The peatlands of Africa's Cuvette Centrale in the Congo Basin store more carbon than the rainforest that overhangs it. But peat is only valuable as a carbon store if it remains water-saturated and untouched in the soil. What has kept the peat locked up until now is the lack of roads and other infrastructure. Irene Wabiwa Betoko, International Project Leader, Congo Basin Forest of Greenpeace Africa, talks about the threats facing peatlands in the Congo Basin and discusses ways to protect them. By Inka Dewitz and Irene Wabiwa Betoko
Peatland Atlas 2023 Atlas The Peatland Atlas 2023 highlights the consequences of the destruction of these unique habitats, but also the potential of wet peatlands for mitigating climate change. Download Please select a file format. pdf epub mobi
Beneficial insects: nature's little helper Pesticide Atlas 2022 Insects such as ladybugs or predatory wasps act as natural enemies against pests and as effective plant protectors. They are good for the environment and help cutting costs – but their habitats are under threat from pesticide use. By Henrike von der Decken and Moritz Nabel
Biodiversity: extinction in full swing Pesticide Atlas 2022 Experts have been warning for years that biodiversity is at stake. Pesticides have been identified as one of the causes for why the abundance of animals and plant species is deteriorating so quickly and disastrously. By Katrin Wenz
Bulgaria’s CAP Strategic Plan: backsliding on nature and biodiversity Analysis Bulgaria’s CAP Strategic Plan must be corrected in order to be in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, and the EU’s Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies. This article highlights essential changes to be made, from targets and monitoring to measuring coherence and consistency. By Yanka Kazakova and Vyara Stefanova
COP26 diary #4: A Global North greenwash festival? - Thoughts on communication around COP26 from a first-time attendee COP26 diary COPs are a time of a plethora of announcements, pledges and initiatives by countries, businesses and financial institutes. It is hard to keep up and even harder to distinguish between newsworthy reason for hope and old wine in new bottles. Lisa Tostado reports on the climate “communication nightmare” of welcoming progress while emphasizing the persistent astronomical gap to what would be Paris Agreement-compatible. By Lisa Tostado
Saving biodiversity Background With the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the global community wants to make a new attempt to halt the rapid and dramatic loss of ecosystems, species and genetic diversity, or biodiversity. By Lili Fuhr , Kristin Funke , Dr. Christine Chemnitz , Linda Schneider and Lisa Tostado