In 1994, during
the last day of the 6th IMCG field excursion in Norway, we visited Toppmyr on
the island of Smøla, a raised and blanket bog complex covering more than 5 km2.
We spent the night in a guesthouse in a small fishing village (Veidholmen) far
west on Smøla. More than 10 years later, the same mires are in the news again,
when in June 2005, the Norwegian Mire Museum was opened on Smøla, in one of
the largest mire landscapes in Norway.
Smøla is about 200 km2 in size, and is regarded as the largest area of the “strandflat” in Norway; the mean height above sea level is 15m. Mire vegetation (including peatlands with more than 30 cm of peat) cover more than half of the land area, and Calluna heathlands cover large areas as well. Superficial deposits (drift) are absent or thin; the peat (and raw humus) mostly lies directly on the bedrock. Smøla is an open, highly oceanic area and its mires and other types of wetlands are of the highest protection value.
Farmland takes up 12 km2 of Smøla, a large part being cultivated peatlands. In the 1930s, a major agricultural project to cultivate mires started on Smøla, mainly in the central part, which had the largest area of mire at that time. A mire research farm (station) was established in the centre of the area, helping the farmers with on ditching, fertilisers, etc. Growing carrots and swedes on cultivated peat has earned good incomes for decades on Smøla.
The author inside the new peat-museum
However, large areas have been taken out of production in recent decades as the thin soil (cultivated peat) has shrunk, and the bedrock, often as ridges interspersed with standing groundwater, is visible on the surface.
The mire museum is in the large outbuilding at the former research station, and the exhibitions occupy 720 m2 in two floors. The exhibitions can be separated into three main parts:
- Agricultural part. How to drain, cultivate and fertilise mires, peat cutting, etc. Machinery and tractors.
- Cultural part. Farming on newly cleared land (peat on Smøla), how people lived, their homes and the work done by women at home.
- Natural history. Development of mires, mire types (hydromorphology), vegetation types and flora, hay fens, Sphagnum, mire protection in Norway.
The mires on Smøla were first described in a monograph by Hugo Osvald (1925). Some mire areas on Smøla were proposed for protection in the Norwegian national plan for mire nature reserves (e.g. Moen & Singsaas 1994, Moen 1995), and the Toppmyra mire was classified as being of international significance. There are still no protected wetland areas on Smøla. However, a very ambitious plan to protect wetlands, including mires, freshwater and marine areas, has been discussed for many years.
This discussion now seems to be drawing to a conclusion with the protection of about 30 % of the land area of the island, and large areas of shallow water.
Smøla certainly has one of the most interesting areas of wetland and mire in Norway. The next time you visit this area, you should also spend some hours studying the exhibitions in the Norwegian Mire Museum.
References
Moen, A. 1995 (ed.). Regional variation and conservation of mire ecosystems. Gunneria 70: 1-344.
Moen, A. & Singsaas, S. 1994. Excursion guide for the 6th IMCG field symposium in Norway 1994. Univ. Trondheim Vitensk.mus Rapp. Bot. Ser. 1994 2: 1-159.
Osvald, H. 1925. Zur Vegetation der ozeanischen Hochmoore in Norwegen. Führer für die Vierte I.P.E. Svenska Växtsociologiska Sällskapets Handlingar 7: 1-106, 16 plates.
Asbjørn Moen
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Beinn Mhor Power has applied for development consent to erect 133 125m-high wind turbines in the Park Important Bird Area (IBA) on Lewis Island (Scotland, UK), together with an 80 km network of roads and drains, ancillary equipment, transmission infrastructure, and rock quarries. This Eisgein Wind Farm project is partly in a National Scenic Area (NSA) and in close proximity to the North Harris Mountains Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and the Lewis Peatlands SPA SAC Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar). The Lewis Peatlands SPA SAC Ramsar is already the subject of a 234-turbine project by AMEC Project Investments and British Energy (see previous IMCG Newsletters), also currently in development.
The Eisgein Wind Farm is proposed on a site almost entirely composed of active
blanket bog and Atlantic wet heath (both Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive).
The site is also an IBA classified by BirdLife International for its Golden
Eagle population. The developer’s habitats and hydrology survey is cursory,
and has no regard for recent developments in the understanding of the impact
of wind farms in peatland areas.
Bird species at the site include Redthroated Diver, Black-throated Diver, White-tailed Sea Eagle, Golden Eagle, Merlin, Golden Plover, and Dunlin (all Annex I Birds Directive). The Black-throated Diver, White-tailed Sea Eagle, and Dunlin populations are of national importance, and likewise its population of Greenshank (Annex II Birds Directive). Like the rest of the island, the Park IBA also serves an important function in the north-east Atlantic migratory flyway of waterbirds.
The site’s Golden Eagle population is of international importance and the potential impact of this project on Golden Eagle is of extreme concern. Park IBA hosts the second highest density of this species in the European Union. It meets the UK selection criteria for SPA classification but has not been so classified, contrary to Article 4.1 Birds Directive. Golden Eagle is known to be particularly vulnerable to wind turbine impact and is already under stress at the site due to significant habitat deterioration in recent years (overgrazing by Red Deer).
The Eisgein Wind Farm developer plans further severe deterioration of this internationally important Golden Eagle habitat. The developer predicts that death by blade strike, breeding range abandonment, population attrition; habitat loss, reduction in prey, disturbance, and reduction in productivity are likely.Wind turbines do not have to be located in Important Bird Areas. Plenty of alternatives exist. The Lewis Windpower Scheme proposed for Northwest Lewis has received about 5000 objections, at least 3200 of which were sent from Lewis addresses.
Windfarm plans on Lewis Land
For more information contact Paul Smith:
Paul.Smith@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
or visit www.mwtlewis.org.uk
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A body found in a peat bog in northern Germany, first thought to be a murder victim, turned out to be a sensational archeological find: the 2,700 year old mummified corpse of a teenage girl.
At first the police thought the body of a teenage girl they were alerted to was evidence in an unsolved murder case. But upon closer examination, it turned out the suspected victim of foul play found in a peat bog in the town of Uchte, Lower Saxony, was actually slightly older than first thought, some 2,700 years older.
Many of the body’s hundred-odd parts were first dug out of the bog in 2000.
At the time, the police homicide unit was assigned to the case, but when they
failed to solve it, the file was archived and the bog body forgotten.
In January of this year, a local worker discovered a shriveled hand in the bog while digging turf. The police were once again put on the case, but this time, they recognized that the body was an archeological find rather than a criminal one.
Radiocarbon dating showed the bog body belonged to a teenage girl – her age is estimated between 16 and 20 – who lived around 650 BC. All the parts of the corpse appear to have been found except for one shoulder blade, though much of it was strewn about by modern digging equipment. Even the hair on the corpse’s head was intact.The State Museum of Lower Saxony said it is the only extensively preserved human body dating from the pre-Roman iron age to be found in Europe north of the Alps.
photo:dpa
Technological developments have made the discovery of intact bog bodies increasingly rare. Whereas people used to dig peat by hand, today huge machines shred everything to pieces. Thus small, mummified body parts – which are almost the same color as the peat – remain undiscovered. A mummified body was last found in Lower Saxony 50 years ago.
Paleobiologist Andreas Bauerochse said the “Girl of the Bog” will be examined for clues to life 2,000 years ago. The find will keep scientists busy for a long time. The body will be on display for a short time in the State Museum, where the public will have a chance to see the body before scientists begin their work.
Source: Deutsche Welle
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Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH has acquired another three peat cutting operations in Lithuania, adding to the existing facilities in the country, as well as in Germany and the Netherlands.
Klasmann-Deilmann has, in the course of the privatisation of the Lithuanian utility company AB “Kauno Energija”, acquired the operations of UAB “Naujasodzio Energijos Paslaugos” and is sole shareholder since 15 April 2005. The negotiations involved went on for almost two years.
The Ezerelis, Paliai and Susis peat operations, situated close to Kaunas, have at their disposal a combined total of just over 2,000 hectares of raised peat bog fields, from which both white and black peat is extracted. These facilities currently employ around 190 people.
Dr Norbert Siebels, managing director of Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH, was delighted at the new acquisition: “This will be instrumental in securing our long-term supply of ‘raw materials’. We are investing in the future of the company and in its employees, and in our partnership with Lithuania.” Dr Siebels announced intentions to make large-scale investments aimed at smoothly and speedily integrating the peat cutting facilities into the Klasmann-Deilmann Group’s quality-assurance system. The planned measures, he said, are all about enhancing extraction and increasing extraction output.
Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH has been active in Lithuania since 1992. In 1999 it acquired, through its associated company “Baltische Torfgesellschaft mbH” (BTG), two operations – UAB “Silutes Durpes” and UAB “Laukesa-WTL” – adding a third, UAB “Gedrimu Durpes”, in 2003. Silutes Dorpes is the company responsible for cutting away half of the famous Augstumal bog, where C.A. Weber laid the foundation for modern peatland science.
Up to now Klasmann-Deilmann has invested more than 5 million euros in these Lithuanian operations. The substrate factory in Silute is among the most modern in the Baltic region and produces almost 400,000 cubic metres of growing media per year, marketed in more than 40 countries.
The Klasmann-Deilmann Group, based in Gross Hesepe in the Emsland region of Germany, is the global market leader in the production and marketing of growing media. Including its new operations, the Group employs more than 1,000 employees at its corporate head office and in its extraxtion and sales companies all over the world. During the financial year 2004, the Klasmann-Deilmann Group achieved a turnover of 120 million euros.
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In 2003, a joint UNESCO and Ramsar Convention mission visited Ukraine in order to examine different choices for the re-establishment of a navigable waterway through the Ukrainian part of the Transboundary Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar Site. In its report, the mission reflected on issues concerning navigation vs. biodiversity and delta dynamics, the need for compensation of ecological damage, and the need for transboundary cooperation. Much has happened since then and the concerns of international bodies remain. An update on the situation can be found on the Ramsar Website:
http://www.ramsar.org/ram/ram_rpt_53e_update.htm
The 2003 report:
http://www.ramsar.org/ram/ram_rpt_53e.htm
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Iraq and Iran have agreed to work together to designate the shared Hawr Al Hawizah wetland, one of the major remaining parts of the Mesopotamian Marshlands, as a transboundary Ramsar Site of International Importance. This hopeful agreement was struck during the ‘High-level Conference on the Restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshlands’, held in Manama (Bahrain) on 28 February and 1 March 2005, co-organised by UNEP and ROPME (Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment). The meeting was well attended by representatives of most of the governments of the region, UN agencies, the World Bank and a number of NGOs already involved with these wetlands. A delegation from the indigenous Ma’dan people, the Marsh Arabs, was lacking.
The great Mesopotamian Marshlands, one of the iconic wetlands of the world,
were inhabited by a proud people, inheritors of the Sumerian civilisation, with
a vibrant culture and a unique architecture based on the ingenuous use of reeds.
They lived in balance with nature, in a vast area (of about two million hectares),
fed by the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers, rich in biodiversity.
In the early 1990s, the impact of large upstream dams in the countries sharing
their catchment basin resulted in a dramatic reduction of freshwater inflow.
The coup de grace was given by Saddam’s government, which implemented just after
the first Gulf war and within 2-3 years a policy of draining the Marshlands.
The result was the almost total destruction of the wetland ecosystems and the
flight of the inhabitants to the towns, while a large number of refugees crossed
the border to Iran.
After the fall of the Saddam regime, starting in late 2003, returning Ma’dan breached some of the dikes and initiated the re-flooding of the marshes. The interim Iraqi government agreed to the restoration of the wetlands and established CRIM (Centre for the Restoration of the Iraqi Marshlands) to co-ordinate this major effort. The UN (mainly through UNEP), a number of countries (such as Canada, Italy, Japan and the US) and various organisations rallied to assist. Already a considerable number of the Ma’dan have returned to their wetland villages, and, in spite of a variety of difficulties, the outcome for the future may be considered as positive.
A typical palmiet (Prionium serratum) fen.
Note the presence of exotic invader species in the background
The designation of Al Hawizah as a Ramsar site presupposes the accession of Iraq to the Convention on Wetlands. The Iraqi delegation expressed its willingness to complete rapidly the necessary procedure, with the advice of the Ramsar Secretariat, and to take part in COP9 with an observer status. All in all, the potential contribution of the Ramsar Convention to the rehabilitation of the Mesopotamian Marshlands was highly appreciated by the participants, who would welcome a more active role by this international body. In a broader context, the need of a regional wetland initiative was felt by many of the participants, and Iran suggested it would consider playing a catalytic role for its launch.
Source: www.ramsar.org
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Japie Buckle from Working for Wetlands, whom the delegates from the recent IMCG Congress in South Africa met in September 2004, has recently reported severe erosion in the palmiet (Prionium serratum) fens associated with the Goukou and Duivenoks River systems, near Heidelberg in the Southern Cape Provincea. Japie and a multi-disciplinary team surveyed the area with a helicopter on 8 June 2005 to ascertain the extent of the wetland degradation after extensive flood damage occurred in December 2004. The survey team consisted of representatives from the Department of Agriculture, the Provincial Department of Agriculture, DWAF, Cape Nature, District Municipality, Working for Wetlands and Fred Ellery (another well known face to the IMCG delegates) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Goukou and Duivenoks rivers rise in the east and west striking Cape Fold Mountains (comprised mainly of sandstone) and drain southwards into the Indian Ocean, across gently undulating marine sediments.
The wetlands of the study area were all strongly associated with peat – either the entire wetland basins were filled with peat or portions of them were peatland. Without exception, palmiet (Prionium serratum) was an important floristic element, either dominating the entire wetlands or large parts of them.
The hydro-geomorphic setting of the wetlands associated with these rivers varies from valley-fill with- and without-streams to floodplains. Agricultural activity and infrastructure development has been associated with canalization of water in ways that has fundamentally altered wetland characteristics, converting them to a state of increased flow concentration.
These wetlands have numerous values, especially with respect to erosion control, water quality enhancement – with respect to sediment trapping in particular – flood attenuation, improvement of water security to downstream users, biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration.
All of the wetland systems have been highly modified as a consequence of one or a combination of several factors – most notably:
- Encroachment into wetlands by agricultural activity, with concomitant flood control and flow confinement structures such as dykes and drainage ditches. These activities have confined flow and sedimentation processes to a narrow zone of the former wetlands.
- Invasion of wetlands by alien plants, particularly the black wattle (Acacia mearnsii), so that the indigenous, natural vegetation is shaded out.
- Construction of roads across wetlands with narrow culverts and canals to confine flow entirely in a narrow zone of the wetland.
The scale of devastation in these wetlands is difficult to comprehend. All but one of the observed tributary streams (of the Goukou) were deeply incised, and according to local accounts, all of which were supported by observations in the field, erosion was progressing rapidly upstream.
Palmiet wetlands of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces are under extreme threat, linked largely with alien invasives, roads and agriculture. The conservation of these systems is a national priority.
The team has requested emergency funds to mitigate the current degradation in these systems, both within the wetlands but also in the respective catchments. These include amongst others:
- arrest the further erosion of the Palmiet peatland in Tierkloof (a tributary draining into the main Palmiet wetland system in the upper reaches of the Goukou River catchment).
- Deactivate the headcut on the Palmiet wetland in the Duivenoks River above the Duivenoks Dam
- Deactivate the headcut at the top end of the main Palmiet wetland in the Goukou River
The problems in the Kruis River (tributary of the Goukou River) involve the cooperation of landowners and can be addressed over a longer period.
An initial amount of ZAR 1.5 million (Euro 200 000) is required to stabilize the current situation. Thereafter a massive operation will be needed that would address restoration on a catchment level.
The karst fen located in Gerhard Minnebron wetland near Potchefstroom (2 hours drive south, south west of Pretoria), in the North West province, supports two mining operations and supplies about 80 % (35 000 m3 per annum) of the local market’s peat demand. This 90 ha peatland, in the catchment of the Mooi River (the “Beautiful” River) is now additionally threatened by pollution.
The Harmony Gold Mine, more that 60 km upstream of Gerhard Minnebron got approval to release vast volumes of polluted mine water into the catchment of a tributary of the Mooi River, immediately upstream of the peatland. Some of the peat miners have already reported that polluted water has spilled over onto the peatland. Their greatest fear is that it may pollute the peat resource.
This might save the peatland from being mined in future, but will it survive the pollution!
Officials of the Department of Agriculture have recently indicated that the output of South Africa’s peat mines has dropped from about 70.000 m3 to 40.000 m3 per annum. This is mainly due to the refusal of the Gauteng Province’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment to issue a permit for the expansion of the Culterra peat mining operation in that province, as well as the closure of the Vindex operation due to a lack of resources.
Bark products are also replacing peat products in the horticulture industry, especially when it comes to potting soils. However, the boom in development of golfing estates has created another demand for peat. Peat is being imported and both operators at Gerhard Minnebron (Duffuel and Stander Veen) have applied for the expansion of their current operations. Operations by Middleground have also commenced in the Schoon spruit mire.
For more on South African wetlands and peatlands, contact Piet-Louis Grundling: peatland@mweb.co.za
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The Republic of Korea has designated an island peatland area as its third Wetland of International Importance, effective 30 March 2005. Jangdo Island peatland in Chollanam-do province (34°41'N 125°23'E) is one of 1,596 islands that are part of the Tadohae-Haesang National Park. The site is a pristine mountainous wetland (230-267m asl) that is the largest peatland associated with the Korean Peninsula, surrounded by marine landscapes with five major areas of peatland, mountainous area, small streams, transferred zone and residential area. The peat thickness ranges from 70 cm- 80 cm over clay beds, which make it the largest source of high quality freshwater in the island critical for the survival of 294 species of plants, 146 of insects, 5 of amphibians and reptiles, 44 of birds. Human settlements lie around the lower ridges of the peatland. It provides a habitat for national Natural Monuments and IUCN Red-listed species like Falco peregrinus, the otter Lutra lutra, the orchid Dendrobium minutiflorum, Hobbseus cristatus, and Marsdenia robusta. Nearly 50% of the wetland is forested peatland dominated by Machilus thunbergii, Salix spp. and Camellia japonica. Prior to designation as a National Wetland Conservation Area in 2004, the main land use involved grazing -- currently, all activities are strictly prohibited. The site was recently proposed for ecotourism with plans for awareness raising, bird observation and site patrolling. The jurisdiction is under the South Cholla Province and the management by the Nature Environment Division, Environment Bureau of Yeongsang River Basin Environment Office. Ramsar Site No. 1458.
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The Global Peatland Initiative (GPI) has received an official invitation from the Dutch DGIS/Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lead the development of a proposal for the implementation of the Central Kalimantan Peat Swamp Rehabilitation and Management Programme. DGIS has identifed the GPI as a short to medium term facility to assist planning, technical support, funding disbursement and internal monitoring of interventions of the project. The GPI is a global partnership of NGOs, science agencies and private sector concerned with the wise use and conservation of peatlands. Its Steering Committee involves the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG), the International Peat Society (IPS), IUCN-Netherlands Committee, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, Alterra (Secretariat), and Wetlands International (Chair + administration). The GPI has, as one of its activities over the past years, implemented a global small grant scheme for promoting and supporting wise use and conservation of peatlands, financed by DGIS (€ 1.5 million) and co-financed(> € 3.5 million) by many donors around the world.
Total available budget for the Central Kalimantan project is € 5 million for a period of 2 years. The proposal will build on the findings of a DGIS consultant who carried out a mission to Indonesia/Central Kalimantan in February/March this year.
The GPI chair and secretariat, Wetlands International and Alterra, will be working in the coming weeks to develop the proposal in consultation with local stakeholder organizations and government. The proposal will primarily focus on the implementation modalities of the programme, identifying roles and mechanisms and options for a rapid and smooth project mobilisation. The latter is crucial in view of the expected dry season and related urgent needs for fire prevention and fire fighting.
For more information on the GPI and projects it financed in the past (including some projects in Central Kalimantan), please see www.peatlands.org or contact Marcel Silvius:
or Herbert Diemont: Herbert.Diemont@wur.nl
The False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is one of the world’s largest (4-5 m total length) yet least-known extant crocodilians. It occurs in lowland swamp forests in Borneo (Sarawak and Kalimantan), eastern Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, but is now extinct in Thailand. Information on distribution, abundance and status are absent from many regions, and thus conservation priorities are unclear. Kalimantan (Indonesia Borneo) retains extensive areas of potential nesting habitat (peat swamp forest) and is thought to support the largest remaining False Gharial populations. False Gharial surveys were conducted in West Kalimantan Province (August-September 2004), in areas that had not previously been surveyed for crocodiles. The aims were to assess current population densities, identify threats, gather local knowledge on past densities and identify sites that may be important for False Gharial conservation in the future. The opportunity was taken to extend crocodile survey techniques to local government agencies and conservation NGOs. The study was funded and jointly implemented by the Tomistoma Task Force of the IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG-TTF), People, Resources, and Conservation Foundation (PRCF), provincial Department of Conservation of Natural Resources (BKSDA) and the National Geographic Society (NG).
Spotlight surveys were conducted in 227 km of waterways, in nine rivers, in
the south and north-east of West Kalimantan Province. Only eight False Gharials
were sighted, mostly <2 m total length but one large (4-5 m) adult male.
Breeding was confirmed (presence of nests, eggs or juveniles) in two national
parks, and local knowledge suggested it occurs in at least two other protected
areas: the species may thus be well-represented in the protected areas system
of the Province, although densities are low. Local knowledge indicates scattered
populations may persist in the south, central and north-east of the Province.
Local people described the species as “common” in protected and unprotected
waterways. Logging (legal or illegal) and forest fires were observed in all
survey sites, and is resulting in the large-scale loss of the swamp forest habitat
False Gharials use for nesting. A similar situation exists in Sumatra and is
reported in other waterways within Kalimantan. The general picture is one of
reduced populations, perhaps increasingly fragmented, throughout West Kalimantan
Province. Increasing disturbance along river banks, increased river traffic
and the opportunistic collection of False Gharial eggs for food consumption,
may all be real threats.
The false Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii)
Training in crocodile survey and conservation techniques assisted in raising awareness of the species among provincial conservation agencies and local conservation NGOs. The project report (http://www.tomistoma.org/pa_contents/2004surveys.html) is being widely disseminated among relevant Indonesian agencies, and the provincial BKSDA has started to collect False Gharial reports from its field staff and local communities. Publicity about the species was further highlighted by a National Geographic film team spending two nights with the survey team and filming the capture of a small False Gharial.
Mark R. Bezuijen (bezuijen@ozemail.com.au )
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A workshop on the Tsunami and Coastal Wetlands held in India on 9th February 2005 and attended by 250 experts from over 20 countries, recognised the important role that coastal forests – especially mangroves and beach forests played in reducing damage and loss of life from the recent Asian Tsunami. Policy makers in several countries in the region have prioritized the establishment of greenbelts to protect the coastline from future wave and storm damage. In most countries, however, implementation mechanisms are still being developed. Coastal forests in the region were degraded before the tsunami and are likely to be further impacted if action is not taken soon. There are risks that many independent activities related to planting of coastal vegetation may take place causing un-necessary duplication or conflict as well as use of inappropriate species or techniques. Linkage between government and community activities needs to be strengthened. Given the transboundary nature of the tsunami and the lack of appropriate existing coordination and exchange mechanisms an Asian Tsunami/Coastal Greenbelt Initiative is being developed to enable collaboration in supporting the protection and rehabilitation of coastal forests in the Region.
Faizal Parish, fparish@genet.po.my
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In New Brunswick, peat is considered a quarriable substance and, as such, it belongs to the landowner. Twenty companies were extracting peat in the Province in 2004. Most of the development is concentrated in northeast New Brunswick, mainly in the Acadian Peninsula and in the Baie-Sainte-Anne region. About 80 % of the production comes from Crown lands.
Updated peatland inventory data shows that in 2004 there was 5 000 ha of peatland area used for the extraction of peat in New Brunswick. Abandoned commercial peatland area totals 1 150 ha of which 260 ha have undergone restoration. Peatlands protected within the park system or inside protected conservation zones total about 15 500 ha.
For more information consult the 2004 report under: www.gnb.ca/0078/minerals/peat-e.asp
During the year 2005, a second inventory will be carried out of recolonisation of peatlands in Canada abandoned after exploitation. The inventory will be coordinated by Monique Poulin (flora) and André Desrochers (birds). The first inventory was carried out in 1994-1995. The long term succession and development of vegetation on bare peat will be studied as well as the re-establishment of bird populations.
For more information contact:
Stephanie.boudreau@plg.ulaval.ca
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