On April 21, 2020, the first LIFE OrgBalt national workshop on climate change mitigation measures for organic soils “Peatland conservation in the CAP – Instruments for a climate-friendly use of organic soils” was held in Germany for the project stakeholders.
The workshop of the project was organized by Michael Succow Foundation / Greifswald Mire Centre as a partner in the LIFE OrgBalt project and the German Association for Landscape Care. The workshop’s main focus – implementation of climate change mitigation measures in peatland agriculture. Almost 50 participants, mostly from ministries and agencies from German Federal States in charge for agriculture and environment gathered online in the workshop which was held in a webinar format.
Agenda and presentations of German national workshop “Peatland conservation in the CAP – Instruments for a climate-friendly use of organic soils” can be found HERE.
In the webinar, experience and knowledge were exchanged on existing as well as new ideas of the authorities in the different Federal States. The possibilities of promoting climate-friendly use practices of peatlands in the CAP after 2021 were discussed. This exchange was linked to possibilities for peatland management measures in Baltic States and Finland and could be used in the frame of LIFE OrgBalt project and further stakeholder discussions in the other countries of implementation.
LIFE OrgBalt partner Michael Succow Foundation / Greifswald Mire Centre introduced the stakeholders with the objectives and expected results of the LIFE OrgBalt project. Kristīne Sirmā, representing LIFE OrgBalt partner organization Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia made a presentation on practices implemented in organic soil management in Latvia for climate change mitigation.
Drained organic soils are one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in Germany. The German Federal Government’s climate protection programme therefore also calls for the protection of peat soils as a measure to reduce emissions. Good examples how climate protection can be promoted through organic soil protection already exist in some German states rich in peatlands. Other Federal States are currently developing new programmes. The challenge: the measures must be manageable and controllable for the administrations, but at the same time attractive and practical for the agricultural enterprises and meet the requirements of climate and nature protection.
Within LIFE OrgBalt project in total 10 national workshops are planned in partner countries – Germany, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (two workshops in each country). The workshops are planned to gather stakeholders – governmental institutions, research organizations, farmers etc. in order to inform about the LIFE OrgBalt project, planned activities and results. The first workshop in each country will be held in the first half of 2020. Taking into consideration the restrictions introduced internationally due to 2019-nCoV outbreak the first LIFE OrgBalt workshops will be held in webinar format.
The LIFE OrgBalt project’s “Demonstration of climate change mitigation potential of nutrients rich organic soils in Baltic States and Finland” (LIFE18 CCM/LV/001158) main objectives are measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from managed nutrients rich organic soils on agricultural and forest lands in a Cool Temperate Moist climate zone and elaboration of emission factors as well as research and implementation of climate change mitigation measures.
LIFE OrgBalt is being implemented by Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, University of Tartu (Estonia), Natural Resources Institute Finland LUKE, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Michael Succow Foundation (Germany) and Association Baltic Coasts (Latvia) from 2019 to 2023 and has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the State Regional Development Agency of Latvia. More information www.orgbalt.eu
The information reflects only the LIFE OrgBalt project beneficiaries’ view and the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
