New opportunities for restoring areas where peat was harvested.

In a much publicized presentation to over 200 professionals from the peat industry, Herman Oosterkamp, Kaloveen, showed that it is possible for peatlands to regain their natural state in 5 to 10 years after the areas had been harvested. Restored moors are growing moors with a functioning ecosystem:

• Establishment of CO2
• Drainage and filtration
• Diversity of flora and fauna

An important criterion is the correct choice of peat-forming mosses on residual peatlands with a low pH and controlled water level. In Canada, thousands of hectares have already been successfully restored. The cost of about 700 to 1,000 € per hectare is only a fraction of what was spent in Germany and the Netherlands for rewetting, renaturation, sphagnum farming or paludiculture (swamp). These experiences from Canada have gained particular interest in the Baltic States where harvested areas would also like to be restored.

Did you know that the amount of peat harvested annually throughout the world, approximately 100 million cubic meters, makes up only about 0.1% of the annual growth of peat (about 1 billion cubic meters) on about 4 million square kilometers?