Signpost Series: Rewetted Peatlands in Southern Germany

Why It Matters

Paludiculture turns climate‑damaging drained peatlands into productive, low‑emission systems, helping Europe meet its LULUCF targets while preserving farmer livelihoods.

Key Takeaways

• German organic soils emit >50 Mt CO₂e annually, 7% national total.
• Rewetting to ~‑10 cm water table cuts CO₂ emissions dramatically.
• Paludiculture enables productive wetland agriculture while reducing greenhouse gases.
• Optimal water levels balance CO₂ reduction against methane increase.
• EU policies now mandate paludiculture as a climate mitigation measure.

Summary

The webinar highlighted recent research on rewetting peatlands in southern Germany, with a focus on fen‑paludiculture as a climate‑friendly land‑use alternative. Carla Bachmann presented eight years of data from three Bavarian sites where drained organic soils were rewetted and planted with wetland‑adapted species, aiming to quantify greenhouse‑gas outcomes. Key findings show that Germany’s 1.93 million ha of organic soils—mostly drained—emit over 50 million tonnes CO₂‑equivalents annually, accounting for roughly 7 % of national emissions. A water‑table target of about –10 cm can slash CO₂ emissions from ~40 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ to ~5 t ha⁻¹, but higher water levels raise methane, underscoring a trade‑off that must be managed. The study established diverse paludiculture treatments using species such as Carex pallescens, reed canary grass, common reed and cattail across water‑gradient plots, and employed a novel automated closed‑chamber system for high‑resolution gas measurements. The research feeds directly into EU policy: the 2024 Nature Restoration Law now lists paludiculture as a recognized mitigation measure, and forthcoming LULUCF reporting will require emission factors for this land‑use class. For stakeholders, paludiculture offers a pathway to retain agricultural productivity on rewetted peatlands while delivering substantial greenhouse‑gas reductions, provided water tables are optimized to balance CO₂ and methane fluxes. The generated emission factors will support farmers, insurers and regulators in aligning economic interests with climate targets.

Original Description

On this episode of the Signpost Series which took place on Friday, 27 March, host Cian Condon, KT Outreach & Innovation Specialist, Teagasc was joined by Carla Bockermann, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science to discuss Rewetted Peatlands in Southern Germany. Professor Owen Fenton and Dr. Pat Tuohy, Teagasc also joined the webinar to provide an Irish perspective on rewetting peatlands and facilitated the questions and answers session.