Peatlands are the secret climate protectors. Hardly anyone realises how big an impact they have on our environment. They are not only unique habitats for a variety of rare plants and animals. They are also incredibly efficient CO2 reservoirs and bind more carbon than all the world's forests put together.
However, there is one prerequisite: the moors must be wet. And this is currently the problem. Since the 17th century, we humans have drained around 90 % of all moors in order to use them for agriculture or forestry or to extract peat. This peatland destruction continues to this day.
Peatland: What is it actually?
When the glaciers began to melt at the end of the Ice Age, the peatlands we know today were created where the water could hardly seep away. However, it is not just the water that suddenly turns the areas into moors. It also takes plant remains such as leaves, branches and roots, which accumulate on the wet ground and slowly decompose like the peat mosses. However, they cannot decompose completely. The water-saturated soil lacks the necessary oxygen for this. What remains is peat - the soil on which bogs continue to grow. (Source: bmuv.de)
Around 3 % of the earth's surface is currently covered by peatlands. The 59,000 hectares of European peatlands are mainly found in the north, but there are also numerous raised bogs and fens in Central Europe. The largest raised bog in Europe is the High Fens with 5,000 hectares - surrounded by the Eiffel and the Ardennes. (Source: geo.de)
In Germany, moors are mainly found in Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Peatlands - essential for climate protection
Peatlands are extraordinary habitats. They differ from all other ecosystems on earth. Due to the special living conditions in a bog, more organic matter is formed in an intact bog than is decomposed. Moors therefore have a positive material balance. This characteristic makes the soils important carbon sinks and contributes to the reduction of atmospheric CO2.
Even though peatlands only make up 3% of our earth's surface, they have stored twice as much CO2 worldwide as all the world's forests combined. (Source: tagesschau)
Peatlands also influence the regional climate by absorbing large amounts of water when it rains, removing pollutants from the water that passes through and slowly releasing it back into the environment during periods of drought. This not only cools the surrounding air, but also helps to prevent flooding, catastrophic flooding and long periods of drought.
Peatlands - hotspots of biodiversity
What also makes peatlands unique is that they are home to animals and plants that are threatened with extinction. They are also known as "specialists" because they have adapted to the special and extreme living conditions in the moors. They can hardly or not at all exist outside.
Peatlands are particularly interesting for archaeologists: the preservative properties of peat mean that organic materials dating back thousands of years can be found in peatlands, providing evidence of past environmental conditions and changes. This information is crucial for understanding environmental history and the effects of climate change.
What's the current state of our peatlands?
Peatlands are climate protectors. Peatlands are habitats. Peatlands are endangered.
Since the 17th century, we humans have been destroying the ecosystems that are so important for our environment in order to use them for forestry or agriculture or to cut peat. Of the 1.5 million hectares of moorland in Germany, more than 90 % is considered drained. In Austria, the figure is around 70 %.
The consequence: drained peatlands release all the CO2 that they have absorbed over the years. Worse still, nitrous oxide, which is considered 300 times more harmful to our atmosphere, also escapes. In this case, peatlands no longer protect our climate, but continue to fuel global warming.
Experts and researchers are therefore calling for peatlands to be watered down again. Their plea: peatlands must be wet.
4 tips - how we can protect peatlands
With our
MOOR IS MORE campaign from 2 February to 18 February 2024, we want to help you and our partner, the Lower Austrian Nature Conservation Association, to restore moors. For every order we receive during this period, Naturschutzbund NÖ will take care of one square metre of moorland.
But we can do even more good for our peatlands. Here are our 4 tips:
1. peat-free potting soil for garden & Co..:
Peatland protection starts at home. Namely with the choice of potting soil we use. Whether for the garden, balcony or room - decide against peat-based potting soil and opt for peat-free potting soil instead. You can find this in organic food shops and some DIY stores. Here you can find an overview from BUND.
2. donate once or regularly:
In Germany, non-profit organisations such as BUND are committed to restoring peatlands. In Austria, the Naturschutzbund is one of these organisations. You can effectively support their work with a financial donation.
3. volunteer & on site:
If you want to donate time rather than money, you can become a volunteer. For example, as a moor carer with 'Ehrensache Natur'. The initiative does not exclude anyone. You don't usually need any special qualifications - just the desire to do something good for our environment together with others.
4. spread knowledge:
Did you know how important our peatlands are for climate protection before reading this blog post? No? I'm sure your friends are no different. That's why it's important that we share our knowledge. The more people are aware of the importance of our peatlands, the more we can achieve together. Moor is more, after all.
