BUFFER+: Restoring Peat Landscapes for a Sustainable Future
Imagine a global initiative supported by the European Union, dedicated to the restoration and revitalization of peat landscapes.
Buffer+ is realising this vision by working with 21 partners and 7 associated organisations from North West Europe. Our joint objective is to restore peatlands, address climate change and promote biodiversity.
The Challenge
Peatlands are nature's experts in carbon storage and water management, making them indispensable in our fight against climate change. Around 30% of the world's soil carbon is stored in peatlands. Throughout centuries in North-West Europe (NWE), human activities have led to the drainage of these lands, resulting in the release of CO2 into the atmosphere instead of its storage in the soil.
To improve the economic viability of rewetting strategies for peatlands, we are exploring alternatives such as paludiculture and peat substrate replacement. Paludiculture involves cultivating crops in waterlogged or wetland areas. Once peatlands have been rewetted, growing flood-tolerant plant species not only helps to store carbon, but also provides alternative products for farmers.
Peat is also used as a component of horticultural growing media. To promote more sustainable growing options and move away from peat, we need to assess the accessibility, sustainability and economic viability of these substitutes.
These are some of the strategies explored in Buffer+. All innovative approaches within the project share the same goal: to contribute to peatland restoration and sustainable land use.
