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

Bibtex

@misc{7ceeb6b5-e65f-4a38-b12b-de428467c2ab,
title = "Active afforestation of drained peatlands is not a viable option under the EU Nature Restoration Law",
abstract = "The 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.",
author = "Gerald Jurasinski and Alexandra Barthelmes and Kenneth A. Byrne and Bogdan H. Chojnicki and Jesper Riis Christiansen and Kris Decleer and Christian Fritz and Anke Beate Günther and Vytas Huth and Hans Joosten and Radosław Juszczak and Sari Juutinen and Åsa Kasimir and Leif Klemedtsson and Franziska Koebsch and Wiktor Kotowski and Ain Kull and Mariusz Lamentowicz and Amelie Lindgren and Richard Lindsay and Rita Linkevičienė and Annalea Lohila and Ülo Mander and Michael Manton and Kari Minkkinen and Jan Peters and Florence Renou-Wilson and Jūratė Sendžikaitė and Rasa Šimanauskienė and Julius Taminskas and Franziska Tanneberger and Cosima Tegetmeyer and Rudy Van Diggelen and Harri Vasander and David Wilson and Nerijus Zableckis and Dominik H. Zak and John Couwenberg",
year = "2024",
month = may,
day = "02",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02016-5",
language = "English",
publisher = "Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek",
address = "Belgium,
type = "Other"
}

Authors

Gerald Jurasinski
Alexandra Barthelmes
Kenneth A. Byrne
Bogdan H. Chojnicki
Jesper Riis Christiansen
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-Wilson
Jūratė Sendžikaitė
Rasa Šimanauskienė
Julius Taminskas
Franziska Tanneberger
Cosima Tegetmeyer
Rudy Van Diggelen
Harri Vasander
David Wilson
Nerijus Zableckis
Dominik H. Zak
John Couwenberg