14/04/2026 Here are the latest topics in the latest issue of the Paludiculture Newsletter:

• Paludiculture projects – who is doing what where in Germany? A study has compiled 146 projects from the past 25 years to provide an overview

• Water buffalo for peatlands – 70 interested participants gathered at a workshop on water buffalo husbandry on wetland areas in Brandenburg

• Towering insights for paludiculture – Dr. Christian Brümmer explains why there will soon be many more greenhouse gas measurements on wetlands in our interview

• Until 2045 – what should peatland climate protection look like until and after Germany’s target year for climate neutrality? A workshop report

Plus more topics and current dates in the event calendar.

We enjoy staying in touch with our readers. What topics would you like to see covered in the paludiculture newsletter? What feedback do you have for us? Feel free to email us at communication@greifswaldmoor.de.

27/03/2026  The new GMC paper ‘The Development of the Paludiculture Project Landscape – An Overview and Analysis in Germany’ (German only) shows: Of the total of 146 projects examined from the past 25 years, the first initiatives began as early as the 1990s – even before the term ‘paludiculture’ was coined in 1998. However, more than 75% of all projects have been implemented within the last ten years, which underlines the growing importance of the topic.
Most projects are located in the federal states with extensive peatlands. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (44 projects) and Lower Saxony (41 projects) top the list. The range of topics is broad: particularly between 1995 and 2010, the focus was on crop production and utilisation. Business management aspects were mostly examined as a secondary consideration, whilst issues relating to planning and approval have so far been under-represented.
Many projects concentrate on specific land-use and utilisation options – such as sphagnum moss and cattails for substrate production, or cattails and reeds as building materials. At the same time, there are numerous projects dealing with a wide range of potential uses.
Many projects focus on specific land-use and utilization options — such as sphagnum moss and cattails for substrate production, or cattails and reeds as building materials. At the same time, there are numerous projects that explore a wide range of potential uses.
In addition to the publication in the GMC series, the complete list of 146 projects is available for download as an open Excel file for further work. Interested parties can also contact the authors with suggestions for further projects.

11/03/2025  The new online platform PaludiBörse connects the supply and demand side for biomass from paludiculture. It creates transparency about available raw materials, requirements and regional potential for both sides.

The sustainable use of biomass from rewetted peatlands – i.e. paludiculture – plays a central role in climate and biodiversity protection. At the same time, it is difficult to find suitable partners for marketing or processing in practice. PaludiBörse, created as part of the toMOORow initiative and the PaludiAllianz joint project, helps to close this gap.

Farmers can showcase their available raw materials, while companies can search for specific qualities. The platform facilitates networking, reduces search effort, creates market transparency and facilitates the establishment of regional supply chains. This is a step towards making the wet use of peatlands economically viable and contributing to climate and biodiversity protection.

18/02/2026 In December 2025, the final stages of the rewetting of drained parts of the Leidissoo mire complex in north-western Estonia were successfully completed. A film ( United for Peatland Protection: Restoration of Estonia’s Leidissoo Peatland) provides insights into the implementation of the project.

The project, which was launched in 2022, entered the implementation phase in spring 2025 after a comprehensive planning and approval. The restoration measures included closing around 100 kilometres of drainage ditches by constructing more than 500 dams. The aim of the measures is to restore the peatlands natural water balance and thus secure the ecological functions of the ecosystem in the long term, including the positive impact on global climate. Even during implementation on an area of over 800 hectares, initial successes were immediately visible, aided by an exceptionally wet summer.

What happens next?

In spring 2026, after the snow has melted and the spring floods have subsided, the Estonian Forest Management Centre (RMK) will make an initial assessment of the success of the rewetting. This will be followed by long-term monitoring to systematically record the hydrological and ecological development of the rewetted areas.

The Leidissoo mire is situated in a designated nature reserve and plays a central role in the conservation of near-natural mire ecosystems. The rewetting makes a significant contribution to climate change mitigation by reducing CO₂ emissions from drained peat soils.

The protected area comprises three mire complexes – Leidissoo, Sendrisoo and Musa – and combines all types of mires typical for western Estonia: fens, transition mires and raised bogs. It is rich in species and provides a habitat for rare bird and plant species such as golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, capercaillies, bog orchids, heath sedge, and brown beak sedge. Its special value lies in the size of the area and the richness of its bog and forest habitats.

This exemplary project shows that privately funded climate protection projects – such as this one by the Succow Foundation, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, PlanBe, HIT Environmental Foundation and RMK – can also make an important contribution to the restoration of ecosystems and achieving European climate protection goals.

14/02/2026  On 26 February 2026, FNR and Greifswald Mire Centre will be offering another webinar in the free online series ‘Peatland Protection and Paludiculture’. From 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., the focus will be on ‘Cultivation and experiences with paludiculture: peat mosses, wet meadows, sedges, cattails’  

Content:

• Cultivation of various paludicultures: e.g. peat mosses, wet meadow biomass

• Technology, maintenance, harvesting – practical examples

• Water control, mechanical cultivation, establishment

• Processing of paludiculture biomass (e.g. MoorFasern)

Also included:

• ‘Sphagnum moss paludiculture: experiences from 20 years of research, development and practice’
  Dr Greta Gaudig, University of Greifswald, MOOSland project coordinator

• ‘Combined climate protection: land use for MoorFasern – MooReturn project’
  Ludwig Bork, farmer and managing director of Agrotherm GmbH

• ‘Experience gained from 20 years of wet cultivation’
  Frank Havemeyer, Managing Director of Niedersächsisches Landvolk Kreisverband Osterholz e.V.

Special features

• Interactive format with room for dialogue and discussion

• Goal: exchange, knowledge transfer and cross-sector cooperation

• Invitation to participants to contribute their own expertise and gain new perspectives