The European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2018 is co-organising a session with the Global Research Alliance that is dedicated to peatland management. Contributions from experimental and modelling work from different aspects (e.g biogeochemistry, vegetation ecology and socioeconomy) as well as work addressing policy implementation of management practices are welcomed.
The use of organic soils is heavily debated in some countries but receives too little attention in others, and political challenges related to the use of organic soil differ greatly between countries. This is an opportunity to raise awareness on peatlands and provide a platform for discussions.
The abstract submission is open and deadline for the receipt of abstracts is 10 Jan 2018, 13:00 CET. More information about submissions can be found here
Session ID: BG 3.20
Session title: Environment-friendly management of organic soils and paludiculture – from innovation to implementation
Session description: Globally, 10–20% of peatlands have been drained for agriculture or forestry, and these emit 6% of global CO2 emissions. There are countries in Europe that have more than 60% of their agricultural emissions originating from cultivated organic soils, and the fate of South-East Asian peatlands is of global concern. However, there are peat-rich countries that are unable to include these emissions in their emission statistics due to lack of data. Innovative mitigation measures that sustain economically viable biomass production while diminishing environmental impacts and supporting ecosystem services of organic soils are vigorously studied. How to implement innovations in practice and into national GHG inventories is a challenge. We invite studies addressing new, innovative management practices on organic soils. We also welcome contributions that address policy coherence and identify policy instruments for initiating and implementing new management practices on organic soils.
Session conveners: Hanna Silvennoinen, Jens Leifeld, Kristiina Regina, Bärbel Tiemeyer, Jagadeesh Yeluripati
For unanswered questions, please contact Hanna Silvennoinen ([email protected]).
Peatlands store tremendous amounts of carbon. However, when they are drained and used – mainly for agriculture, grazing and forestry – peatlands become significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Peatlands drainage and peat fires are responsible for almost one-quarter of carbon emissions from the land use sector.
To address this situation, FAO and Wetlands International have launched the global ‘Organic soils and peatlands climate change mitigation initiative’. The Initiative is an informal network of organizations and people committed to reducing emissions from peatlands and safeguarding the other vital ecosystem services peatlands provide. Institutions currently involved in the initiative include FAO, Wetlands International, Greifswald University, IUCN UK, Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, the Center for International Forestry Research(CIFOR), Global Environment Centre (GEC), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the University of Helsinki.
The Initiative will be launched on 17 May in Bonn Germany at a side event at the thirty-sixth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) held during the United Nations Framework Convention Climate Change Conference. At the launch, the Initiative‘s first publication will be released, ‘Peatlands – guidance for climate change mitigation by conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable use’. To download the publication, click here.