Active afforestation of drained peatlands is not a viable option under the EU Nature Restoration Law /

• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7831174
• Publication Date: 2024-05-02
• Authors: Gerald Jurasinski; Alexandra Barthelmes; Kenneth A. Byrne; Bogdan H. Chojnicki; Jesper Riis Chris...; Kris Decleer; Christian Fritz; Anke Beate Günther; Vytas Huth; Hans Joosten; Radosław Juszczak; Sari Juutinen; Åsa Kasimir; Leif Klemedtsson; Franziska Koebsch; Wiktor Kotowski; Ain Kull; Mariusz Lamentowicz; Amelie Lindgren; Richard Lindsay; Rita Linkevičienė; Annalea Lohila; Ülo Mander; Michael Manton; Kari Minkkinen; Jan Peters; Florence Renou-Wi...; Jūratė Sendžikaitė; Rasa Šimanauskienė; Julius Taminskas; Franziska Tannebe...; Cosima Tegetmeyer; Rudy van Diggelen; Harri Vasander; David Wilson; Nerijus Zableckis; Dominik H. Zak; John Couwenberg
• Keywords: Carbon storage ; GHG emissions ; Nature based solutions ; Nature restoration law ; Peatland forestry ; Peatland restoration; Nature restoration law; restoration; Ecology; peatland restoration; Forestry; peatland forestry; carbon storage; 01 natural sciences; Peatland forestry; GHG emissions; Chemistry; Carbon storage; Biological sciences; Nature based solutions; FOS: Biological sciences; Perspective; nature restoration law; nature based solutions; Biology; Peatland restoration; peatlands; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

AbstractThe EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is critical for the restoration of degraded ecosystems and active afforestation of degraded peatlands has been suggested as a restoration measure under the NRL. Here, we discuss the current state of scientific evidence on the climate mitigation effects of peatlands under forestry. Afforestation of drained peatlands without restoring their hydrology does not fully restore ecosystem functions. Evidence on long-term climate benefits is lacking and it is unclear whether CO2 sequestration of forest on drained peatland can offset the carbon loss from the peat over the long-term. While afforestation may offer short-term gains in certain cases, it compromises the sustainability of peatland carbon storage. Thus, active afforestation of drained peatlands is not a viable option for climate mitigation under the EU Nature Restoration Law and might even impede future rewetting/restoration efforts. Instead, restoring hydrological conditions through rewetting is crucial for effective peatland restoration.