Polski
Issue 7/2026, From the European Commission
A New Map of Europe’s Wetlands: Poland Among the Countries Under the Greatest Pressure
Aug
A new study, published in *Nature*, depicts European wetlands with a level of detail that was lacking in previous surveys. The 10-meter-resolution map illustrates the extent of fragmentation, identifies areas under anthropogenic pressure, and allows for a more accurate estimation of soil carbon stocks. The conclusion drawn from this map is particularly significant for Poland, as the proportion of areas under pressure in our country is among the highest in Europe.
A 10-meter-resolution map changes the picture of European wetlands
A team led by the University of Copenhagen used more than 470,000 Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images from 2017–2019, CORINE Land Cover data, and machine learning. The result was a map with a resolution of 10 meters covering 38 European countries. The analysis included inland wetlands, peatlands, salt marshes, salt flats, drained wetlands, heathlands, and scrublands. The total area of these land cover classes was estimated at 413,500 km2. This is not a comprehensive inventory of all European wetlands. Excluded from the scope are, among others, forested wetlands and heavily drained peatlands used for agriculture, and the class of heathlands and shrublands also includes non-wetland habitats. Between 27 and 33 percent of the mapped area consists of patches smaller than 25 ha, and 7–11 percent consists of patches smaller than 1 ha. The extent of fragmentation is therefore greater than was indicated by earlier, lower-resolution maps.
Peatlands play a dominant role in the carbon cycle
Peatlands cover approximately 2.1 percent of the study area but account for an average of 53 percent of the estimated carbon stock in the analyzed classes. The authors estimated the potential loss associated with land-use pressure at 0.8–4.9 billion metric tons ofCO2 equivalent. This is not an annual emission figure, but rather the modeled difference between the potential stock under undisturbed conditions and the stock adjusted for conditions as of 2018.
The authors of the publication attributed the highest carbon stock density in Poland to inland wetlands. In the Central European Lowlands, many low-lying peatlands were also classified in this category. This means that the importance of individual wetland types for carbon sequestration varies across regions.
70.9 percent of Poland’s mapped area is under pressure
Anthropogenic pressure was determined based on the spatial relationship between wetlands and agricultural and urban areas. Areas overlapping with such lands were identified as being under the greatest pressure, while those located within 150 meters were classified as being under indirect pressure. On a European scale, this accounted for 20.4 percent of the mapped area.
In Poland, this percentage was 70.9%. Higher figures were recorded only in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. This does not mean that 70.9% of Polish wetlands are degraded. The indicator describes their spatial relationship with agricultural and urban areas, not their ecological condition as confirmed by field studies. However, the result suggests that these areas in particular require a more detailed analysis.
A map alone will not determine the priorities for restoration
The map does not answer the question of where renaturation will yield the greatest water retention effect. This is determined by the hydrological conditions of a specific site and watershed—that is, the inflow, outflow, level, and variability of groundwater, as well as the degree to which the drainage system has been altered.
A separate study, published in *Nature Water*, indicates that wetlands in European watersheds remove 1,092 ± 95 thousand metric tons of nitrogen annually. Without this, the nitrogen load flowing into the seas via rivers could be approximately 25 percent higher.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 requires that national natural resource restoration plans include, among other things, a quantification of the areas to be restored, based on preparatory work and indicative maps of potential restoration areas. Member States are to submit draft plans to the European Commission by September 1, 2026. The new map may serve as one of the tools used to identify areas for further analysis, but selecting the location and method of restoration requires an assessment of the condition of the habitat and water-dependent ecosystems.
Main photo: jdblack/Pixabay
Sources:
Kovács, G.M., et al., “Highly Fragmented European Wetlands with Uneven Restoration Needs,” *Nature*, July 15, 2026.
University of Copenhagen, “New study pinpoints Europe’s most critical wetlands for climate action,” July 15, 2026.
Bertassello L.E. et al., “The important role of wetland conservation and restoration in nitrogen removal across European river basins,” *Nature Water*, 2025.
