Peatlands cover some 4 million km² worldwide. Approximately 15% of this area - particularly in the temperate zone and the (sub)tropics - is drained, largely to be used for conventional agriculture and forestry. Drainage leads to irreparable damage to peatlands. Subsidence and soil degradation frustrate long-term...
Preface by the laureate of the Right Livelihood Award, Michael Succow Foreword by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Martin Frick 1 Paludiculture as an inclusive solution 2 The limits of drainage based peatland utilisation 2.1 Fen peatland use in Northeast Germany 2.2 Drainage induced peat degradation processes 2.3 Impact of drainage on productivity 2.4 Ecosystem services of peatlands 3 Production and utilisation of paludiculture biomass 3.1 Promising plants for paludiculture 3.2 Edible and medical plants from paludiculture 3.3 The production of fodder in paludiculture 3.4 Material use of biomass from paludiculture 3.5 Solid energy from biomass 3.6 Liquid and gaseous biofuels 4 Harvest and logistics 4.1 Trafficability of wet and rewetted fens 4.2 Agricultural machinery for wet areas 4.3 Logistics of biomass production on wet peatlands 4.4 The feasibility of biomass harvest from paludiculture 5 Ecosystem services provided by paludiculture 5.1 Greenhouse gas emissions 5.2 Biodiversity 5.3 Local climate and hydrology 5.4 Nutrient balance and water pollution control 6 Economics of paludiculture 6.1 Economic aspects of paludiculture on the farm level 6.2 Certification of biomass from paludiculture 6.3 The creation of regional value 6.4 Welfare aspects of land use on peatland 7 Legal and political aspects of paludiculture 7.1 The legal framework 7.2 Agricultural policy 7.3 Control mechanisms and incentives for paludiculture 8 Social aspects of paludiculture implementation 8.1 The relationship between humans and mires over time 8.2 The integration of stakeholders and the public 8.3 Acceptance and implementation at the producer level 8.4 Transfer of knowledge 9 Sustainability and implementation of paludiculture 9.1 Sustainable land use 9.2 Availability of suitable areas 9.3 The decision-support tool TORBOS 9.4 Technical measures for implementing paludiculture 9.5 Implementation and administrative approval in Germany 10 Paludiculture in a global context 10.1 Global demands and international commitments 10.2 The global potential and perspectives for paludiculture 10.3 Germany - Rewetting and paludiculture in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania 10.4 Belarus - Biomass from rewetted peatlands as a substitute for peat and for promoting biodiversity 10.5 Poland - Paludiculture for biodiversity and peatland protection 10.6 Indonesia - Paludiculture as sustainable land use 10.7 China - Paper from the water 10.8 Canada - Harvesting Typha spp. for nutrient capture and bioeconomy at Lake Winnipeg 11 The way out of the desert - What needs to be done 11.1 Problems of peatland management and the necessity of paludiculture 11.2 Challenges for practice 11.3 Awareness raising and communication 11.4 Politics and society 11.5 Research questions 11.6 Outlook References List of contributors Index
Peatlands cover some 4 million km² worldwide. Approximately 15% of this area - particularly in the temperate zone and the (sub)tropics - is drained, largely to be used for conventional agriculture and forestry. Drainage leads to irreparable damage to peatlands. Subsidence and soil degradation frustrate long-term peatland utilisation and are responsible for almost 6% of the total global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Soil degradation and greenhouse gas emissions can be strongly reduced by rewetting. Rewetting, however, makes conventional land use impossible. In contrast, paludiculture on wet and rewetted peatlands allows for permanent, sustainable cultivation of peatlands. The volume introduces paludiculture as a novel land use practice for the production of biomass, which is further able to reactivate or sustain a wide variety of ecosystem services impaired by peatland drainage. Biomass from wet peatlands is useful for various applications: as fuel and raw material, food, fodder and medicine. The authors discuss and evaluate the ecosystem services and economic feasibility of various land use options. Practical recommendations for and legal aspects of implementing paludicultural methods are presented as well as experiences with its worldwide application. The historical development of peatland utilization, including its increasing intensification, the resulting soil degradation, and the recent development of paludiculture as an alternative, balanced land use approach are described. The book provides extensive information for practioners and scientists as well as decision-makers in politics, management, and explains the principles of wise peatland management, encouraging the worldwide implementation of paludiculture as a unique form of sustainable utilisation of organic soils. This book is also available in German language: Paludikultur - Bewirtschaftung nasser Moore
