Revival of the raised moor: Comparison of habitats and climate protection!

Revival of the raised moor: Comparison of habitats and climate protection!

An extensive renaturation and awareness-raising project is currently underway in the Hochmoor Schrems Nature Park, the aim of which is to restore habitats in the region and protect rare species. Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner emphasizes the responsibility for preserving Lower Austria's natural treasures. The project is an example of how nature and climate protection can work together effectively. The protection of the moor-like landscape has proven to be essential for regional climate protection. State Councilor Susanne Rosenkranz emphasizes the importance of moors in this context, as they fulfill a valuable function as carbon sinks.

Project manager Thomas Kainz reports on the comprehensive combination of habitat and species protection as well as climate protection. As part of the project, several awareness-raising activities have already taken place, including during the “Hands on Community Day”. The Schremser Hochmoor covers an area of ​​300 hectares. It suffered from the effects of drainage and peat mining until the 1980s, until it was placed under protection in 2000. Today it is a refuge for endangered species such as the small rush damsel and the moor frog.

Effective renaturation and protective measures

The renaturation of moors includes a variety of measures aimed at strengthening ecosystem services and providing a refuge for threatened species. The goals implemented include the construction of five sheet pilings to stabilize the moor water level and a targeted reduction of trees to increase the amount of light. These measures promote the growth of peat moss, which is crucial for CO₂ storage in peat soils. In addition, knowledge about the importance of moors is conveyed in order to promote the public's understanding and appreciation.

The renaturation measures concentrated on two sub-areas with a positive area of ​​2.6 hectares. The results show that this initiative not only contributes to the protection of endangered populations, but also enables measures for habitat connectivity and protection against genetic isolation. A future-oriented step is to plan new renaturation projects in order to further expand our success.

Climate protection through moorland renaturation

The importance of raised bogs for climate protection can hardly be overestimated. According to the Biodiversity Fund, bogs in Germany are responsible for a significant proportion of emissions from agriculture. Drainage of peatlands accounts for approximately 6-7% of national greenhouse gas emissions. The Natural Climate Protection Action Program formulates ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets that require large-scale rewetting and renaturation of moors in order to achieve the climate targets by 2045.

The negative balance of the peatlands is alarming: raised peatlands are at great risk, and in many areas the conservation status is worrying. In order to effectively meet the challenges, an extension of protection to threatened moorland habitats is urgently needed. Current requirements for renaturation and protection are summarized in Need for action on moor protection and show that the condition of many moors in the continental area is classified as “inadequate”.

The nature park community of Schrems plans to become the first certified wetland city according to the RAMSAR convention by 2028. This commitment highlights the need for integrated implementation of measures to secure biodiversity and revitalize peatland ecosystem services. In Lower Austria it is clear that the renaturation of raised bogs is a promising project that not only benefits nature, but also regional climate policy.