This joint paper, drafted by the Greifswald Mire Centre and Wetlands International Europe, addresses key questions raised in the European Parliament and the EU Council with respect to peatland restoration, in the context of the negotiations for the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) and the Soil Health Law.

The paper deals with the difference between rewetting and restoration, the costs and benefits of these activities, the availability of data on peatland distribution and condition, the compatibility of rewetting with productive land use and food security and the issue of methane emissions after rewetting.