Despite being carbon storage powerhouses, biodiversity hotspots, and important for climate change adaptation and mitigation, peatlands are in trouble. Across Europe they have been drained and degraded for centuries. These damaged sites become significant sources of carbon emissions. Although only 15% of the world’s peatlands have been degraded, this 0.4% of the world’s surface area contributes to more than 5% of CO2 emissions.

In this booklet, five EU transnational projects exploring innovative measures to save our peatlands have released the Peatlands Across Europe: Innovation and Inspiration guide outlining their experiences and recommendations. Authored by Bax & Company’s Amber De La Haye, Cisca Devereux and Sebastiaan van Herk, with contributions from Carbon Connects, Care-Peat, DESIRE, LIFE Peat Restore, CANAPE, and the Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI) the document aims to pave the way for future action on peatlands.

As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, it is crucial that we ensure peatlands are protected, restored, and sustainably managed now and for our future. Peatlands are our largest terrestrial organic carbon stock, and if we are to meet our global goals and commitments, we must work hard to understand, protect, restore, and sustainably manage these vital ecosystems. The Peatlands Across Europe: Innovation & Inspiration Guide is a valuable step towards that reality – it captures important recommendations, shares the cutting-edge experiences of peatland restoration pioneers, and identifies gaps, priorities and lessons from across Europe that can be taken up by peatland practitioners around the globe.