Public evening lecture by landscape ecologist Sophie Hirschelmann (Greifswald Moor Centrum) as part of the "WETSCAPES2.0" lecture series

Raising the water levels in drained moors is the best measure for restoring their diverse functions for water retention, climate protection and biodiversity. This has long been known and the practical implementation of rewetting has been tried and tested many times. Nevertheless, around 90% of peatlands in Germany are still drained and there is a great need for action. How can we make better progress on peatlands, also in order to meet our (inter)national climate and restoration targets? Challenges and approaches include efficient planning, faster approval procedures, the resolution of conflicting objectives in the area and attractive incentives for farmers and owners. The presentation will provide insights into practical examples and pilot projects for rewetting and wetland management and highlight hurdles and paths to implementation.

Sophie Hirschelmann is a graduate landscape ecologist and has been working on various projects at the Greifswald Mire Center for 6 years. Her focus is on political and legal framework conditions for peatland climate protection as well as planning processes, knowledge transfer and communication for pilot projects in wet peatland management. She coordinates the Michael Succow Foundation's working group on peatland and climate protection in Germany and works there and at the University of Greifswald, focusing on the MOOReturn project - a model project for paludiculture in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Moderation: Professor Dr. Gerald Jurasinski