Building a European Peatlands Initiative? Check!

Back in November 2022, CEEweb for Biodiversity began collaborating with partners from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands on a project to establish a robust alliance for peatland climate protection in Europe. Funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), the “Building the European Peatlands Initiative: A Strong Alliance for Peatland Climate Protection in Europe” project aimed to enhance climate mitigation and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through an improved pan-European collaboration for the conservation and restoration of peatlands, sustainable agricultural use of peatlands and regeneration of healthy soils. For CEEweb, our working focus was to support the development and enhancement of peatland-related policies by providing information, recommendations and guidance.

During these three years of work, the project and its consortium worked on building an alliance that was born and grew parallel to the development and approval of the Nature Restoration Law — the regulation having entered into force in 2024, the national plans linked to it to be developed by 2026 — which contains binding targets related to restoring drained peatlands. The context thus allowed CEEweb to focus on engaging with and informing key stakeholders about the latest findings on the topic.

As such, we organised workshops and field trips:

• In June 2023, the workshop Improving Central and Eastern European Policy Responses to Protect, Restore and Sustainably Manage Peatlands in the Fight against Climate Warming, held in Tata.
• In November 2023, the webinar National Peatland Strategies and Peatland Restoration Opportunities for Climate Action.
• In April 2024, the hybrid workshop Peatlands as Key Habitats in Climate Mitigation Efforts, held onsite in both Budapest and Fertő-Hanság.
• In May 2025, the international hybrid workshop Conservation of Peatlands: Policies, Funds and Field Experiences, which included a field trip to the Ócsa Landscape Protection Area, part of Hungary’s Danube-Ipoly National Park.

Altogether, our workshops involved 238 participants, 36 presentations (available on CEEweb's website in the project-related articles) and 3 field trips focusing on peatland protection, restoration and sustainable management in CEE countries. Not only that, but our policy research work resulted in the publication of:

• The Role of Peatlands in Climate Mitigation – Policy review from Central and Eastern Europe
• Peatland-related Policies in Six Central and Eastern European Countries: Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
• Integrating Peatland Protection and Restoration as Effective Measures for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Central and Eastern European Region – Summary for policy and decision making
• Policy Recommendations for Improved Peatland Management and Funding in CEE Countries - The role of peatlands in science-based emission reduction pathways for climate change mitigation
• Country overview, facts and recommendations brochures for Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania.

Moreover, we filmed an impression video, while further thematic publications from the partnership can be found on the project's main website.

Yes, three years in the making, within which we are grateful to our project partners — Eurosite – The European Land Conservation Network (lead partner), the Michael Succow Foundation – Partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, and the European Landowners Organisation (ELO) — as well as to everyone who has followed the project or contributed valuable thoughts to our workshops. 

Though small within the bigger picture of peatland conservation, our work has contributed to enhancing the understanding of the significance of peatlands and supported Central and Eastern European (CEE) policymakers and decision-makers in integrating peatland protection and restoration as effective measures for adapting to and mitigating climate change.

And, most certainly, we do not plan to stop there. So keep an eye out for next year!

The project “Building the European Peatlands Initiative: a strong alliance for peatland climate protection in Europe” is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). www.euki.de/en