9. Degrading peatlands: a global issue
Hotspots of CO2 emissions (annual)
• 400 million ha peatlands world wide
• 15% (50 million ha) is drained and degrading, causing CO2 emissions
• 50% of global peat emissions come from South-east Asia
USA
72 Mt
EU
174 Mt
Russia
160 Mt
Central Asia
15 Mt
1000Mt
SE Asia
10. 10
Peat CO2 emissions from drainage
(without fires)
IPCC
5% of all human induced emissions globally
11. Close look at Europe
Data: H. Joosten and J. Couwenberg
12. Peatlands in Europe are often modified land
Consequences:
• 2% of EU’s agricultural on drained peat causes 70% of EU’s
agricultural GHG emissions
Netherlands peatlands: 2-6 meters below sea level
Land subsidence
High flood risks in lowlands
High costs for dikes and pumping
Loss of biodiversity
West Europe
> 90% drained
Central Europe
> 50% drained
13. Perverse subsidies in Germany and the EU
• Wide-spread maize cultivation on drained peat for biogas production
• Used for subsidised energy: electricity and heating
• Tax free (EU Commission - for climate change mitigation)
But this biogas is not climate friendly
Carbon footprint 8 × fossil fuel (from peat oxidation)
EU Renewable Energy & Fuel Quality Directives:
• No source materials for biofuels from drained peatlands & wetlands –
• but this doesn’t apply to energy…….
15. Always seek optimal use of alternatives
TheNetherlan
Total: 4.2 Millio
Soil&growingmedia
Total: 35 Million cubic meter
Energy
Total: 35 Million cubic meter
Peat consumption in Europe
Total: 70 Million cubic meter
Not high added value
Plenty of alternatives
High added value
Kerry, Ireland
Ireland (original peatland area 14,000 km2)
has degraded 93% of its raised bogs and
82% of its blanket mire resource
16. Optimal replacement of peat in growing media
• EU subsidises the burning of millions of tonnes of high quality
compost
• This material could potentially replace up to 20% of peat in high quality
growing media for horticulture
• Climate subsidies thus cause shortage of compost materials for the
growing media sector
Conclusion:
1. Burning of compost impedes the replacement of substantial amounts
of peat in growing media
2. This results in more GHG emissions from peatland degradation
3. EU is subsidising climate change with climate funding!
Compost can replace part of peat in growing media
17. Leakage and indirect land-use change
Is stopping extraction in Germany a solution?
It will lead to additional extraction of class 1 & 2 sites in the Baltic states
18. • RPP
For high added value applications
transparency
certification
• Can there be a win-win?
Help restore degraded areas
Minimise negative effects
Maximise positive effects
No extraction from high conservation value areas
Requirements over and above existing legislation
Peat extraction
Peatland rehabilitation after peat mining
Esterweger Dose
19. Where can there be RPP?
?
?
Never
Not
allowable,
unless…
Generally
allowable,
unless….
Always
allowed
20. Creating an after-use outcome that is better
than the situation pre-extraction
NET POSITIVE IMPACT
21. Biomass ≠ sustainable bioenergy
If using high quality compost materials that could be used to replace peat
in growing media
Agriculture on peat ≠ sustainable
It is one of the most climate destructive activities
Biogas ≠ sustainable energy
If it is derived from biomass grown on drained peat
Stopping peat extraction in Germany ≠ good for the environment
It displaces the problem to the Baltics and Scandinavia
with higher impacts on biodiversity and climate
Peat extraction on degraded peatlands ≠ bad
It can help to restore degraded peatlands
Not everything is what it looks like
22. Towards European Action on Peatlands
Conservation:
• Establish system of effective peatland conservation
Representation of all biogeographic regions
Peat mining:
• Peat extraction only in degraded sites, with requirement
for peatland restoration after extraction
Nature restoration or Paludiculture
Invest in research and availability (!) of alternatives
Agriculture:
• No expansion of drainage-based agriculture on peat
• Phasing out of drainage-based agriculture on peat
25. SE Asia’s remaining primary PSF is mainly limited to Brunei
Belait peat swamp forest, Brunei
26. SE Asian peat forests have high species biodiversity!
27. • 11% of plants found in PSF are endemic to PSF
• 14% of freshwater fish in PSF are point endemics
• 45% mammals / 33% birds of PSF in IUCN Red List
• Endemism: especially species directly related to
peat soil or water
Many rare and endemic species in
SE Asian peat forests
28. Dragonfly
endemism in PSF
Podolestes atomariusElattoneura erythroma Amphicnemis platystyla
Amphicnemis spec. novum
Prodasineura spec novum
Raphismia inermis
Coeliccia species novum
Elattoneura longispina
Coeliccia spec novum
> 10% of dragonfly species
known from Central Kalimantan
are PSF specialists
33. Examples of subsidence in the field
Drained > 100 years
Oil palm flooded after 10 years
Foundation
constructed
2002
Peat subsidence and
resulting flooding is a fact
Johor, Malaysia, 2011Alabio polder, South Kalimantan
70 cm
Flooded oil palm plantation in Riau, 2014
34. Almost all lowland peatlands of Sumatra and Borneo will be
affected by flooding
Case study: Rajang delta, Sarawak
35. • Deforestation
8% per year
• Rapid conversion
to palm oil
• Remaining peat
forests largely
affected by
drainage
Land conversion Sarawak
Situation in 2004
Situation in 2014
36. • 2009:
most of the
delta lies
above mean
sea level
• 2019:
subsidence will
have brought
most of the
peatland down
or just above
mean sea level
Projected peatland subsidence
39. 1.Stop further peatland degradation:
• Stop conversion of natural peat forests
• Exclude drained peat based products from
supply chains (e.g. palm oil, paper)
2.Rewet drained peatlands:
• Phase out drainage based land-use
• Phase in paludiculture
Commercial use of rewetted peatlands
Priorities for reducing impacts
43. In cooperation with PT RMU and
Ecosystem Restoration Concessions
in Indonesia
Wetlands International staff
surveying the 150,000 ha
Katingan Ecosystem Restoration
Concession
44. Community-based implementation
Local stakeholders must benefit
Healthy & productive environment
Employment & benefit sharing
Micro-credits
See: www.wetlands.org/bio-rights
Paludiculture sustainable income
Carbon credits from village forests
and paludiculture
45. We need to start a paradigm shift from
unsustainable practices to Net Positive Impact
More information on
www.wetlands.org
Thank
y u