The Power of Nature‐Based Solutions: How Peatlands Can Help Us to Achieve Key EU Sustainability Objectives

• DOI: 10.1002/adsu.202000146
• Publication Date: 2020-10-09T16:34:55Z
• Authors: Franziska Tannebe...; Lea Appulo; Stefan Ewert; Sebastian Lakner; Niall Ó Brolcháin; Jan Peters; Wendelin Wichtmann
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 13. Climate action; 11. Sustainability; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; 12. Responsible consumption; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Abstract Peatlands are lands with a peat layer at the surface, containing large proportion of organic carbon. Such cover ≈1 000 km 2 in Europe, which is almost 10% total surface area. In many countries, peatlands have been artificially drained over centuries, leading to not only enormous emissions CO but also soil subsidence, mobilization nutrients, higher flood risks, and loss biodiversity. These problems can largely be solved by stopping drainage rewetting land. Wet do release , potentially sequester carbon, help improve water quality, provide habitat for rare threatened biodiversity, still used production biomass (“paludiculture”). Wisely adjusted land use on substantially contribute low‐emission goals further benefits farmers, economy, society, environment.