UNDP-GEF Project "Renaturalization and Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Belarus to Combat Land Degradation, Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Change"
Belarus is a country with significant amount of peatlands the most part of which, about 51%, have been effected by the large-scale drainage of the 1960s.
The significant part of the drained mires is not used at present. The peatlands are a source of peat fires, land degradation, emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
As a result of drainage, large areas of peatlands require restoration at present days. These include more than 200 000 ha of peatlands after peat extraction, 24 000 hа of degraded peatlands ineffectively used for forestry, more than 250 000 ha of degraded peat soils ineffectively used for agriculture and nearly 500,000 ha of natural mires with disrupted hydrological regime.
15 pilot sites were restored within the UNDP/GEF project in Belarus. Among them are raised bogs, fens and transitional mires with the total area of 28207 ha. The process of restoration is rather long and requires much work on different restoration stages. At the initial stage much preparatory work was conducted by scientists who elaborated scientific rationales for restoration of each of the pilot sites. Throughout the whole restoration process the project experts conducted monitoring of flora and fauna and measured dynamics of CO2 emissions. Engineers conducted design and exploration work including leveling of the areas. Based on this data they elaborated design documents for construction of different facilities to regulate the hydrological regime of the pilot sites.
The strategy of restoration of the hydrological regime within the project was based on uniform rise of water levels throughout the restored territory to the soil surface via cascade canal closure. For this purpose various water flow regulating devices were constructed. To name a few among them are sluices, soil flow-around dykes, soil dykes with walls made of pales, rock-filled dams, wooden dykes made of bars or boards. In cases when the hydrological regime of peatlands is disturbed by adjacent draining systems designated for agriculture or peat extraction, a special antifiltration dam is built. Some of them were built with heavy machines, like excavators and bulldozers.
In the places difficult to access soil dykes were built with hand labour using local materials: peat, wooden pales made of dead pine trunks.
During construction monitoring filed visits were conducted by the project team, engineers and experts.
As a result of re-wetting wetland plant associations were restored at the project sites and habitats for globally endangered biodiversity were re-established. In 2009 and 2010 such globally threatened ornithological species as Greater Spotted Eagle, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew were observed at the restored sites as well as other rare
species like Black Stork, Great white egret, Bittern, Crane and typical wetland species (Snipe, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Great Reed Warbler, Crake, Lapwing, different duck species). Appearance of cranes is indicative of restoration of the mire ecosystem.
As a result of the project the risk of peat fires was significantly diminished. Before the project 5-15 peat fires were observed at the project sites per year, whereas after re-wetting only 1 peat fire was observed in 2009.
Degraded peatlands constitute one of essential sources of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The practical implementation of the project has revealed that rewetting is an efficient and probably the cheapest way of reducing CO2 emissions. After rewetting mire vegetation is restored and the peatlands are able to absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide and accumulate them in the peat deposit as organic substance -- peat.
As a result of re-wetting the total reduction of CO2 emissions from the restored peatlands is about 300 000 t per year.
Restoration of degraded peatlands has had positive social-economic effect for the local population as in some areas peatlands are an important source of income for local people. Re-wetting created more possibilities for fishing and hunting, gathering berries (mainly cranberries and bog bilberries) and mushrooms. It has also improved conditions for re-appearance of medicinal plants as well as created more places for rest.
The most significant indicator of the project's success is the fact that in 2010 when in Russia hundreds of hectares were encompassed with peat fires, no peat fires were observed in Belarus.
Loading...
4:08
Peatland Alert: peatland loss fuels climate changeby WetlandsInt4,409 views
Link to this comment:
All Comments (0)