Paludiculture in Latvia—Existing Knowledge and Challenges

Abstract

Global climate change impact has increased in recent decades and put urgency on implementing effective climate change mitigation (CCM) activities. Rewetting of drained peatlands is an acknowledged measure to reduce GHG emissions from organic soils in the agriculture and land use sectors. Under waterlogged conditions, decomposition of organic matter in peat decreases, and emissions of CO2 are reduced. Thus, the soil carbon stock is saved, and wet management of the site reactivates carbon sequestration. To reach CCM targets, the first rewetting and paludiculture trials have been implemented in Latvia. In this article, we review the current status of paludiculture in Latvia and evaluate the pros and cons of their wider implementation. The majority of paludiculture projects and pilot studies in Latvia have not been published so far and are reported here for the first time. Our assessment of paludiculture shows that trails on Alnus, Phalaris, Phragmites, Sphagnum, and Typha installed by the private enterprises have promising results for upcoming large-scale implementation. There are available areas for paludiculture in Latvia, but the current legislation and national framework policies (environment, agriculture, forest, and climate) do not fully support such activities yet and must be adapted.