Why is peatland conservation so difficult?

13/11/2024 - Complex: The protection and rewetting of peatlands is an important measure for both climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. As many peatlands are currently used for agriculture, peatland protection and rewetting is also an important issue for biodiversity conservation in agricultural regions. It is clear that peatland conservation and restoration can make a big difference to climate and biodiversity in a small area. Nevertheless, progress in peatland conservation in Germany is slow. Why is this?

The recently published scientific article 'Digging into Complexity: The Wicked Problem of Peatland Protection' by Marie Meyer-Jürshof and CAP4GI project team members Greta Theilen and Sebastian Lakner from the University of Rostock sheds light on the challenges of peatland protection in Germany. According to the authors, part of the answer to the question of why peatland protection is progressing so slowly lies in the fact that it is a 'wicked problem': a complex and multifaceted issue with no simple solutions. The article also shows that implementation fails because of financial and organisational hurdles: there is a lack of clear responsibilities and funding structures. The problem is compounded by the conflicting interests of agriculture, nature conservation and climate policy.

To make peatland protection more effective, the authors call for greater cooperation and collaboration between the relevant institutions. They recommend the establishment of a knowledge hub to promote and support peatland restoration, and a national coordination centre to bring together information from the different federal states.

Read the full article here.