Scaling Up Peatland Restoration in the EU

LIFE SUPER EU

Peatlands are powerful carbon reservoirs. With a new project co-financed by the EU LIFE programme, NABU and its partners are setting out to transform and dramatically expand European peatland restoration, making a major contribution to the EU's climate goals.
Sundew in a peatland in Latvia.
Sundew in a peatland in Latvia.© Foto: Mara Pakalne

Peatlands are among our planet's most powerful carbon reservoirs. Drained and damaged peatlands become massive greenhouse gas emitters. When rewetted and restored to healthy functioning, these ecosystems resume their role as climate allies – locking away carbon and supporting incredible biodiversity. That's why NABU is setting out to transform and dramatically expand peatland restoration across Europe, coordinating the new project “Scaling Up Peatland Restoration in the EU” (LIFE SUPER EU) – a five-year, €11 million initiative, co-financed by the EU LIFE Programme.

LIFE SUPER EU will combine on-the-ground restoration across Europe with innovative financing approaches, bringing peatland projects to a scale urgently needed to meet EU climate and biodiversity targets. Pilot restoration work will create immediate climate and biodiversity benefits, while generating practical lessons for larger-scale interventions.

Over five years, the project will:

  • restore approximately 1,300 hectares of degraded peatlands across the EU.
  • develop a pipeline of over 15,000 hectares of restoration-ready projects.
  • create innovative financing models to attract both public and private investment.
  • build financial and technical capacity for long-term, large-scale restoration beyond the project period.

International expertise to move the needle on peatland restoration

The international project consortium brings together partners with expertise across a broad range of fields, including conservation finance, project development and the hands-on technical aspects of restoring, monitoring and managing peatlands.

Project facts

Project title
LIFE SUPER EU: Scaling Up Peatland Restoration in the EU

Period
2025 - 2030

Region
European Union

Countries
Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden

Partners
NABU e.V., Eurosite - the European Land Conservation Network, aeco GmbH, Rīgas Meži, Natuurpunt, Green Restoration Ireland Cooperative Society Ltd, Centrum Ochrony Mokradeł / Wetlands Conservation Centre, Pelkių atkūrimo ir apsaugos fondas / Foundation for Peatland Restoration and Conservation

Sponsored by / supported by
LIFE Programme for the Environment and Climate Action

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.

Sign up for peatland news!

Interested in learning more about LIFE projects around peatland restoration? The Peatland Post is a newsletter jointly published by the projects LIFE PeatCarbon, LIFE Multi Peat and Peat Pals for LIFE. Stay up to date on the progress of restoration and best-practice rewetting and monitoring techniques, as well as developments in the policy space and broader news from our peatland conservation networks. Browse past issues here and scroll down to subscribe!

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