Building a European Peatlands Alliance

Peatlands are indispensable ecosystems in the fight against global warming. Healthy peatlands can be the most space-efficient long-term carbon store in our planet’s terrestrial biosphere with an ability to store twice as much carbon as all forests worldwide. However, peatlands in Europe are massively degrading, which is why the continent counts as one with the largest peatland losses. It is imperative to work collaboratively – on a European (EU) level and together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – to help them recover. This can only be achieved by incorporating an already formulated approach on EU level, that targets not only drained agriculturally used peatlands but also peatland areas used predominantly for forestry or peat extraction.

Joint field work for the conservation of peatlands (c)Hans von Sonntag

The project brought together representatives of national governments, scientists, environmentalists, private landowners, and farmers to exchange knowledge in workshops and networking events. It built up a network that spanned across Europe: the European Peatlands Initiative, which worked closely with the Global Peatlands Initiative by UNEP. On the one hand, the project assisted decision-makers with detailed up-to-date data as well as best practice approaches. On the other hand, it supported farmers and private landowners through customised workshops and tutorial videos in their own languages. As a result, peatland-rich countries – especially in Central and Eastern Europe – developed increased institutional capacities to tackle peatland loss, and on-site practitioners and land-users received the education to foster sustainable, drainage-free, and rewetted peatlands. Hence, each party played a concrete role, depending on their interests and responsibilities, in helping peatlands recover and become sustainably managed.

• Sustainable institutionalisation and European peatland network: The project established the European Peatland Initiative (EPI) and prepared the signing of Letters of Intent by national governments to ensure cooperation beyond the end of the project. At the same time, a resilient European network of governments and stakeholders was established - including Eurosite, MSF/GMC, the UNEP Global Peatlands Initiative and the governments of the Netherlands, Lithuania, Ireland and Poland. The project is thus creating a long-term structure to promote peatland protection and restoration in a coordinated manner. 
• Improved data basis for peat bogs and national strategies: Together with partners and European experts, the project published an updated European peatland map with improved data from at least five CEE countries. In parallel, the mapping of agricultural utilisation and greenhouse gas emissions was driven forward, supported by the Global Peatland Database and an expanded mapping network. Building on this, the project analysed five national peatland strategies in CEE countries, reviewed exemplary policies with CEEweb, authorities, NGOs and experts, developed guidelines for management and financing and prepared country reports on the condition and emissions of peatlands. This created a sound basis for decision-making for policy-makers and administrators. 
• Cooperation and stakeholder community for sustainable management strengthened: The project strengthened cooperation between scientists, conservationists, landowners and agricultural networks through nine network meetings and bilateral discussions on strategies, projects and best practices. In addition, three practical handbooks for agriculture, peatland restoration and forestry were produced and three regional workshops were organised to share sustainable management practices and promote exchange between stakeholders. This has created an active community that shares knowledge and promotes peatland conservation in practice. 
• Increased visibility of peatlands in the European climate discourse: By publishing the European Wetlands Map on World Wetlands Day 2025 and participating in the Virtual Peatland Pavilion at COP28 and COP29, the project significantly increased the visibility of peatlands in the European and international climate discourse. The initiative and its results were thus introduced into central political and public forums and contributed to anchoring peatland and wetland protection as an important component of climate policy.

Videos

In this video series, the project describes, from various perspectives, how the protection of European peatlands supports climate action.