Professor Hans Joosten:

With regard to wind farms, in The Flow Country in Scotland for example, wind companies buy the areas of forest, cut the forest to increase the wind velocity and dam the ditches that have been dug to enable forest growth. In this way, they restore the peatlands with the cost of having windmills on it. In Germany, we have a policy that photo-electricity is allowed on very degraded peatlands. We also always have to take into account that climate is not the only issue at stake. We have to deal with biodiversity and social issues as well. If there are no other values at stake, it is allowed in Germany to put renewable energy productions on degraded peatlands, provided they are rewetted or at least that their rewetting ability is not jeopardised. These are the boundary collisions you must have.

The Deputy asked for examples of strategies that exist in the world. Indonesia is an impressive example but where I am living in Germany, we now have €2.5 billion available for the next four years for rewetting peatlands. Of the €4 billion that is available for total nature-based solutions, €2 billion is going to rewetting peatlands and we have almost €500,000 from the agriculture ministry for progressing paludicultures. In Germany, the peatlands issue is considered to be so important. We are talking about such large emissions and the positive synergies that can be realised with other policy fields so it is worthwhile to invest in it. The effects of greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands become more and more the longer you wait. The sooner you rewet, the better it is for the climate.