by Tatiana Mineava & Andej Sirin
The following article is based on a presentation held at the peatland side event of the Conference of Parties (COP7) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
Peatlands cover 2 to 6 % of the world’s land surface, an estimated 50% of this area is located in Russia. The importance of peatlands to climate change and biodiversity has received more and more attention in recent years.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has finally recognised the importance of peatlands and has now undertaken steps to improve the representation of peatlands as wetlands of international importance. Besides the important recommendation 6.1, made in Australia in 1996, recommendation 7.1. adopted in Costa Rica in 1999, and then culminating in the adoption of resolution 8.17 (GGAP) in Spain 2002, several other convention documents have strengthened the position of peatlands as wetlands of international importance. There have been several Recommendations and Resolutions on wise use and the ecosystem approach (Recommendation III.3, Canada 1987; Recommendation IV.1, Switzerland 1990; Resolution V.1, Japan 1993) and on adaptive management of wetlands in response to the impacts of global climate change, recognising the role of wetlands in climate change mitigation (Resolution VIII.3 and Strategic plan for 2002-2008, Spain 2002).
Within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), there have been made several calls for inventory and assessment of carbon sinks and sources, including natural ecosystems. Furthermore, calls were made for the development of National and Global strategies for climate change mitigation and ecosystem adaptation. The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) initiative includes forested wetlands, but not peatlands as such. Peatlands should particularly be considered in the climate change problem regarding following aspects:
- Peatlands are the main terrestrial sink of atmospheric carbon
- Peatlands are also an unquantified source of green house gases (CO2, CH4 , N2O)
- Peatlands could mitigate effects of climate change
- Peatlands can adapt to climate change.
In relation to peatlands, also the Convention on Biological Diverstiy (CBD) offers many challenges and opportunities. In particular, the CBD calls for impact assessments and minimisation of adverse impacts (Article 14) as well as for ecosystem management and restoration in order to maintain ecosystem features (Ecosystem approach, decision VI/12 and Forest biological diversity, decision VI/22). With respect to climate change, the CBD specifically addresses that degradation of peatlands and mires as a measure for mitigation of Climate change effects should be avoided (review and recommendation for actions on the Interactions of Biological diversity and climate change 9th SBSTTA meeting, Montreal, Nov.2003)
Besides on species, the Convention on Biological Diversity also focuses on ecosystems and landscapes. Both these levels are important with respect to peatland conservation.
There are some few species that are obligatory peatland species during their entire life cycle. Next, a much larger group of species is connected with peatlands only during part of the life cycle. Then, peatlands provide potential refugia for criophytic species like Rhynchospora alba, Drosera rotundifolia, Drosera anglica (Europe in peatlands only, North America on sand/clay), Betula nana, Trichophorum caespitosum, Eriophorum vaginatum, Rubus chamaemorus, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Sphagnum fuscum (temperate zone in peatlands only, Arctics in a wide range of ecosystems), Calluna vulgaris, Empetrum nigrum (Continental Europe and West Siberia in peatlands only, in Oceanic regions on sands). Species like Scheuchzeria palustris, Menyanthes trifoliata, Calla palustris, Oxycoccus palustris etc. occur in peatlands only.
Peatlands function as “refugia-in-time” after the major change in climate with the end of the last ice age for some mountain and cryophilic flora and fauna species like Betula nana, Saxifraga hirculus, Empetrum nigrum, and Ledum palustre. Also species of open habitats find refugium from anthropogenic pressure in peatlands (Gladiolus imbricatus, Gymnadenia conopsea, Malaxis monophyllos, Epipactis helleborine). Besides for plant species, peatlands also provide important habitats for other organisms. The peatlands of Belarus, for instance, provide nesting habitats for a major part of several European populations of rare bird species like Aquilla pomarina (45%), Porzana porzana (46%), Crex crex (59%), Acrocephalus paludicola (57%). Peatlands also provide the sole habitat for some rare species on invertebrates.
On the landscape or ecosystem level there are many peatland classification systems. These all have one thing in common: they distinguish a lot of variation and many peatland types. Different types react differently to climate change and to human impact. For human use of and their impact on peatland ecosystems, reference is made to the Wise Use of Mires and Peatlands book (Joosten & Clarke 2002), where an exhaustive listing of material and non-material forms of peatland utilisation can be found.
Climate change itself leads to a loss of peatlands types. This is most obvious when climatic conditions are extreme as in case of arctic peatlands, where retreating permafrost leads to melting and subsequent drying out of peatlands, or in case of montane peatlands in arid climates that change to dry tundra and steppe systems. Unwise use can reinforce and speed up the detrimental effects of climate change on peatlands.
This brings us to the measures necessary for the conservation of peatlands in a world focussing on Biodiversity and Climate Change. First of all, the wise use of peatlands needs to be promoted and the necessary informational background for decision making has to be drawn together and made accessible. The Ramsar Convention already has shifted focus towards peatlands, also with respect to climate change. For the other main Conventions, the following peatland related targets can be recommended.
The Targets for the CBD:
- address peatlands as distinct wetlands ecosystem types with their own characteristics.
- address peatlands ecosystem management in relation to climate change and biodiversity conservation:
- peatlands and desertification
- peatlands in permafrost areas
- mountain peatlands ecosystems
- inland water management and peatlands
Targets for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD):
- designate peatland ecosystems as threatened by desertification in all countries of the arid zone
Targets for the UNFCC:
- designate peatlands as the main terrestrial sink of atmospheric carbon
- include peatlands in green house gass (CO2, CH4, N2O) source inventories
- recognise peatlands as a climate change mitigation factor
- develop a climate change adaptation strategy for peatlands
In Russia, where most of the world’s peatland area is located, peatlands are distinguished from other wetlands type in the National strategy of biodiversity conservation. Now there is a need to develop an integrated policy document that is endorsed and approved by Federal authorities, that focuses on scientifically sound and systematic measures of peatland conservation and wise use, including legal, social, economic, and management tools, and that allows to take the urgent action that is needed now.