Paludiculture meets peatland protection

Leveraging sustainable wetland management for effective climate action

Wet agriculture has a long-standing history. Northern Germany’s typical thatched-roof houses are one of the most prominent, traditional examples. They are made of reeds, which are grown and processed for this purpose. Today, this form of cultivation is also known as paludiculture. The term is quite new and dates back to the 1990s. The Latin term (palus) means “swamp”.

Paludiculture refers to agriculture or forestry that takes place on wetlands. Its prerequisite is for the area to remain wet all year round: if water levels stay close to the surface, the large amounts of carbon stored in the peat remain in the soil, instead of being released into the atmosphere as CO₂. In addition, peat can continue to form under ideal conditions.

We can also find examples of paludiculture in everyday life. Anyone taking a stroll in the lake districts of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern or through peatlands will most likely have witnessed wet farming – for example, haymaking on wet meadows or water buffaloes grazing on wet pastures. Today’s challenge lies in reviving knowledge about paludiculture, developing it further and making it marketable.

Paludiculture explained

Conservation and wet cultivation on peatlands

When peatlands are intact, they are unique and precious ecosystems, providing many valuable services: they protect human settlements from floods, store and filter water, help stabilise the climate by storing carbon, and are of great importance for the protection of biodiversity.

These natural functions can be restored by rewetting degraded peat soils. Such restored areas do not have to be a loss for agriculture and forestry – on the contrary: paludiculture enables the sustainable and economic use of wet soils. The biomass obtained can be used to manufacture both traditional and innovative products. There is a great need for climate-friendly cultivation methods. In addition to products like paper or insulation boards, paludiculture can also be used to generate energy, through biogas production.

From reed to medicine to packaging – peatlands are a treasure trove of nature

Paludiculture bridges the gap between peatland conservation and agriculture. Rewetted peatlands yield a whole variety of products:

• Reed is processed into thatched roofs or packaging material. Reed stalks can grow several metres in height. Reeds growing in rewetted fens, for example, are ideal for biomass production. And other peatland grasses besides reeds can also be used to manufacture paper or packaging, or for thatch material.

• Cattail grows in nutrient-rich wetlands and can be processed into insulation material for use in construction. Why does this form of paludiculture have a future? Greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector remain enormous. To achieve the adopted climate protection targets in this sector, building materials must also be produced in a climate-friendly way. The demand for sustainable building materials is high.

• The cultivation of peat moss for use in substrates is possible in raised bogs. The final product, known as fresh sphagnum biomass, provides a good and – most importantly – sustainable alternative to peat in industrial horticulture. However, large-scale production is not yet available. This would be needed to compete with the cheaper, climate-damaging peat often extracted and imported from the Baltics. Hence, scaling up this cultivation method is crucial.

• Sundew cultivation for medical applications also takes place in raised bogs. Sundew has been considered a medicinal plant for centuries. It’s particularly effective in treating colds. Recent research has shown that this endangered plant can be established in re-wetted raised bogs, making future harvesting possible in many countries.

• Livestock farming on wet meadows: Water buffalo are among the typical livestock in re-wetted peatlands, as they can move easily on wet soils. They can be used as grazing animals.

• Energy generation: Biomass can be fermented and used for the production of biogas.

What we need now, is the political will to create a framework of better conditions for this sustainable form of agriculture and forestry. Conservationists and innovative companies are already ready to take action.

The NABU Climate Fund is one example of how paludiculture can be promoted in collaboration with businesses. The goal is to further professionalise paludiculture and make it marketable.

Holding politicians accountable

Those who preach climate action need paludiculture

When paludiculture is established, the primary goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining agricultural or forestry use. Under ideal conditions, peat growth is also possible. This makes paludiculture a crucial instrument in the fight against the climate crisis – especially when considering current greenhouse gas emissions.

In Europe, drained peatlands are among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Around five percent of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions stem from peatlands which have been drained for agriculture or forestry. The “peatland transition” can only succeed with a better framework at the European level and in Germany. Landowners and land users need clear political guidelines to phase out drainage-based peatland use and transition to paludiculture.

Especially in peat-rich regions, a large-scale transition from drainage-based land use to paludiculture must be supported through government funding.

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