Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ALFAwetlands (Wetland restoration for the future)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-06-01 do 2023-11-30
The global goal to mitigate climate change (CC) is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) by 2050; the European Union (EU) aim is to cut GHGE at least by 55% already by 2030. These ambition targets require new GHGE mitigation measures across all land use sectors, including the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector, where wetlands, as carbon (C) rich ecosystem, can effectively contribute to climate targets, biodiversity, and water-related ecosystem services. Considerable uncertainty in the spatial extent of wetlands, their capacity as C sinks and estimates of C flux between sinks and sources still exists. Also, the socioeconomic impacts of wetlands under current and future climates are not well-established. This greatly hinders efficient use of wetlands in C mitigation and adaptation in the context of other mitigation options in agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors.
Our project’s objective is to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) and being socially just and rewarding. This includes, e.g. increasing the knowledge about C storage and release in peatlands, floodplains, coastal wetlands and artificial wetlands specifically after restoration. ALFAwetlands will develop and indicate management alternatives for wetlands, both those already restored and to be restored during this project. We examine measures for ecological restoration rehabilitation and re-vegetation - actions to improve ecosystem conditions (e.g. peatland forest: continuous-cover-forestry, cultivated peatlands: paludiculture).
Our nine Living Labs (LLs), encompass a total of 33 sites situated in diverse European wetlands from north-to-south. Idea of LLs is to support and integrate interdisciplinary and multi-actor research on ecological, environmental, economic, and social issues. Experimental data from local sites are scaled-up and will be utilized e.g. by models to gain and understanding the potential impacts of upscaled wetland restoration measures. The LLs have chosen to improve existing knowledge relating GHGE, land use, socio-economic characterization and different levels of wetland restoration and its acceptance.
To achieve ALFAwetlands goals, the 5 research WPs serve to realize the following objectives: 1) improve geospatial knowledge base of wetlands, 2) co-create socially fair and rewarding pathways for wetland restoration, 3) estimate effects of restoration on GHGE and BES, with the data achieved from field experiments, 4) develop policy relevant scenarios for CC and BES, and 5) study societal impacts of wetland restoration.
Our project’s objective is to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) and being socially just and rewarding. This includes, e.g. increasing the knowledge about C storage and release in peatlands, floodplains, coastal wetlands and artificial wetlands specifically after restoration. ALFAwetlands will develop and indicate management alternatives for wetlands, both those already restored and to be restored during this project. We examine measures for ecological restoration rehabilitation and re-vegetation - actions to improve ecosystem conditions (e.g. peatland forest: continuous-cover-forestry, cultivated peatlands: paludiculture).
Our nine Living Labs (LLs), encompass a total of 33 sites situated in diverse European wetlands from north-to-south. Idea of LLs is to support and integrate interdisciplinary and multi-actor research on ecological, environmental, economic, and social issues. Experimental data from local sites are scaled-up and will be utilized e.g. by models to gain and understanding the potential impacts of upscaled wetland restoration measures. The LLs have chosen to improve existing knowledge relating GHGE, land use, socio-economic characterization and different levels of wetland restoration and its acceptance.
To achieve ALFAwetlands goals, the 5 research WPs serve to realize the following objectives: 1) improve geospatial knowledge base of wetlands, 2) co-create socially fair and rewarding pathways for wetland restoration, 3) estimate effects of restoration on GHGE and BES, with the data achieved from field experiments, 4) develop policy relevant scenarios for CC and BES, and 5) study societal impacts of wetland restoration.
Within the first 18 months (RP1), ALFAwetlands has completed eight deliverables and four milestones. In total 33 LL sites have been established in 9 LLs throughout Europe. Following results have already been achieved in different WPs:
WP1: The geo-spatial data needed later within the project in several WP’s have been established and the related D1.1. (European wetland map & wetland database for selected catchments with LLs) completed. Mapping of land use and land cover types in selected catchments in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Germany and Belgium proceeds towards D1.2.
WP2: WP2 produced an internal workbook for implementing the co-creation process in the WP2 LLs, tested in LL Sweden and finalized a template procedure, initiated the co-creation process or its preparations in LL Germany and LL Finland.
WP3: WP3 produced guidelines for harmonized methodologies to be used in further analyses & data gathering regarding GHG monitoring and biomass determinations (D3.1). These methods were implemented in field sampling in 24 LL sites and established online database for project use.
WP4: WP4 established biophysical modelling in LL, including calibration of the biophysical response in GHG to management in experimental sites. Upscaling from LL to regions progressed. EU-scale modelling of cropland and grasslands for the “baseline scenario beyond wetlands” was performed (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate Model EPIC-IIASA). For the EU baseline scenario “including wetlands”, LULUCF categories on organic soils (shares and soil properties) were updated in the IIASA's GLOBIOM model.
WP5: WP5 reviewed the literature on economic benefits from wetland BES and on landowners’ perceptions, on landownership structure and restoration costs. It progressed in planning of the surveys (PPGIS, citizen and landowner surveys). The PPGIS survey will be the first survey starting March 2024.
WP1: The geo-spatial data needed later within the project in several WP’s have been established and the related D1.1. (European wetland map & wetland database for selected catchments with LLs) completed. Mapping of land use and land cover types in selected catchments in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Germany and Belgium proceeds towards D1.2.
WP2: WP2 produced an internal workbook for implementing the co-creation process in the WP2 LLs, tested in LL Sweden and finalized a template procedure, initiated the co-creation process or its preparations in LL Germany and LL Finland.
WP3: WP3 produced guidelines for harmonized methodologies to be used in further analyses & data gathering regarding GHG monitoring and biomass determinations (D3.1). These methods were implemented in field sampling in 24 LL sites and established online database for project use.
WP4: WP4 established biophysical modelling in LL, including calibration of the biophysical response in GHG to management in experimental sites. Upscaling from LL to regions progressed. EU-scale modelling of cropland and grasslands for the “baseline scenario beyond wetlands” was performed (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate Model EPIC-IIASA). For the EU baseline scenario “including wetlands”, LULUCF categories on organic soils (shares and soil properties) were updated in the IIASA's GLOBIOM model.
WP5: WP5 reviewed the literature on economic benefits from wetland BES and on landowners’ perceptions, on landownership structure and restoration costs. It progressed in planning of the surveys (PPGIS, citizen and landowner surveys). The PPGIS survey will be the first survey starting March 2024.
Improved European Wetland Map (WP1) provides, more consistent and comprehensive, coverage of regional wetland/peatland types and their land use which is crucial for informing restoration efforts, GHG mitigation, and safeguarding biodiversity. WP2 Co-creation of knowledge - diverse groups iteratively create new knowledge together- has high potential to generate directly usable knowledge for practice and policy to target societal change. Co-creation procedure will provide systematic evidence for favorable conditions, capacities to create impact. WP1’s improved accuracy of the spatial data on peatland use and WP3’s harmonized methodology creates a sound basis for developing higher Tier GHG emission factors for National GHG inventories. WP4’s biophysical modelling calibrated for managed and restored wet soils across Europe enables developing scenarios on different management actions and effects. At EU scale, implementing a dynamic wetland component (i.e. wetland typology, GHG balance, productivity, costs) will allow us to introduce quantified GHG abatement potential of wetland restoration and management in scenarios for climate actions, currently lacking. WP5 surveys will improve the knowledge base on landowners’ willingness to accept compensation and on cost-benefit comparisons of wetland restoration, and thus inform the formulation of effective policies and analysis of mitigation potential in the AFOLU sector.