Forums, photos, UNESCO status: LIFE PeatCarbon shines light on peatland restoration

Project experts build awareness through high-level networking events and exhibitions

14. April 2026 – Healthy peatlands are powerful climate allies, storing twice as much carbon as all forests worldwide. But that’s not all that peatlands do. These ecosystems are good neighbors in general, offering strong benefits for resilient water tables, biodiversity, sustainable employment and land use, tourism and even national defense.

The LIFE PeatCarbon project, running from 2022 to 2027, is tasked with generating on-the-ground data on reducing CO₂ emissions in project sites through peatland restoration measures. Communication and networking are a vital part of that mission, transporting key learnings from project work to other conservation organisations, scientific institutions, land managers, policymakers and the broader public.

At a series of high-level events throughout Europe in early 2026, project experts have been doing just that - forging connections, presenting project insights and building momentum around peatland restoration.

European Carbon Farming Summit in Padua, Italy

Representing LIFE PeatCarbon, Pēteris Āboliņš (University of Latvia) and Aldis Butlers (Silava) participated in the European Carbon Farming Summit 2026, which took place from 17 to 19 March in Padua, Italy. The summit is one of the most significant European-level events dedicated to carbon farming and sustainable land management. It brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, farmers, NGOs, and private sector representatives, to discuss solutions for climate change mitigation and sustainable development in Europe.

The summit programme focused on carbon farming practices in European conditions, certification standards and policy frameworks, monitoring and verification, financing mechanisms and solution scaling. In talks with other experts, as well as in a demonstration at the LIFE programme stand and a session at the Innovation Corner, the project team exchanged insights into peatland restoration best practices, GHG reduction and carbon farming solutions, and sustainable land use principles. Discussions emphasised the need to move from pilot projects to broader implementation of carbon farming solutions, ensuring both environmental benefits and economic viability for land managers.

JTP Groundwork: Technical Regional Forum in Helsinki, Finland

Meanwhile in Finland, a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange brought experts together to explore further facets of peatland restoration. The European Commission’s Just Transition Fund and Just Transition Platform co-organised a Technical Regional Forum in Helsinki from 18 to 19 March, with the focus “Transition and skills development in the Baltic Sea Region”. In panels and discussions, stakeholders and experts explored how peatlands can offer new opportunities for green growth, land-based innovation, sustainable employment and regional cooperation.

In Helsinki, LIFE PeatCarbon was represented by project manager Dr. Māra Pakalne. Presenting at the invitation of the forum organisers, her talk touched on issues relating not only to the rewetting of peatlands for climate change mitigation, but also the importance of peatlands in strengthening national security. Wet peatlands are a natural and highly effective obstacle to incursions of military equipment. In times of increasing geopolitical instability, decisionmakers outside of typical nature conservation circles are turning their gaze to the potential of peatlands for border defense.

For more details and impressions from the forum and other events, explore LIFE PeatCarbon’s news page.

LIFE PeatCarbon site Matorovansuo awarded UNESCO designation

In a further piece of good news for the project, UNESCO has selected Matorovansuo (Matorova Mire) in Northern Finland as an ecohydrology demonstration site. As part of the UNESCO Ecohydrology Network, Matorovansuo will serve as an example of nature-based climate solutions, by showing the potential of peatland rewetting for restoration of the water table, GHG reduction and comprehensive ecosystem recovery. The LIFE PeatCarbon project has been active in the mire since 2022, and is demonstrating promising results on all these fronts. UNESCO recognition of this natural laboratory is a welcome affirmation of the work done by the University of Oulu and the other project partners of LIFE PeatCarbon and the Digital Waters flagship program.

Mobile photo exhibition continues to raise awareness for peatland restoration

To communicate the promise of peatlands to a wider audience, LIFE PeatCarbon's travelling photo exhibition “Peatlands and Climate. Restoration Stories” continues its international journey. In a diverse range of venues, the exhibition has found new opportunities to educate and enchant the public regarding the importance of restoring and protecting peatland ecosystems, showcasing the work of 20 peatland researchers from Latvia, Finland and Denmark.

In the first quartal of 2026, the exhibition was on display at the University of Oulu in Finland, the Jaunjelgava Cultural Centre, the National Library of Latvia, and the Latvian Academy of Sciences. The latter two stops in Riga were in coordination with World Wetlands Day, and the 8th International Economic Forum on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, respectively. The photo exhibition is available to view at the Latvian Academy of Sciences until 10 May, 2026.

Learn more about LIFE PeatCarbon's outreach work and browse photos from events and exhibitions here.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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