Cultivating the climate: socio-economic prospects and consequences of climate-friendly peat land management in Germany |
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Authors: | Lena Schaller Jochen Kantelhardt Matthias Drösler |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Feistmantelstr. 4, 1180 Vienna, Austria;(2) Department of Ecology and Ecosystem-Management, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6, 85350 Freising, Germany |
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Abstract: | About 30% of the world’s soil carbon is stored in peat soils. Peat land’s functional principle of carbon storage greatly depends
on management strategies. Therefore, agricultural peat land use becomes a focal point of interest in the current debate on
climate protection. Agricultural management demands a drawdown of the water-level that causes degradation of the soils, as
well as trace-gas emissions which have a negative impact on greenhouse-gas balance. Climate-friendly peat land management
strategies, however, demand enhanced groundwater tables and decreased land-use intensity. Against this background, we analyse
ways of re-organising agricultural peat land use within a case study located in Germany, where intensive peat land use accounts
for 2.3–5.1% of the country’s overall greenhouse-gas emission. The study takes place in six regions which represent all possible
socio-economic and natural conditions with regard to the range of existing peat land types, range of management and cultivation
types, as well as the range of land-use intensity. To analyse potentials and effects of re-organising peat land use, stakeholder
workshops and extensive farm surveys were carried out. The results indicate that reservations exist as regards a re-organisation
of peat land management. Financial compensation for farmers appears necessary. The results also show that the potential of
rearrangement throughout the regions varies significantly, mainly according to the existing level of interconnection and cooperation
between local stakeholders, the technical feasibility of restoration and water logging and the level of agricultural profitability
of peat land cultivation with regard to income, capital commitment and the share of affected peat land area. |
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