Climate, nature and farming – why protecting and restoring wetlands is important

Protection and restoration of wetlands in agricultural landscapes are key activities for climate and biodiversity conservation reasons. They bring many benefits in these areas, but their implementation is very challenging. Mainly because we are running out of water – both in nature and in agriculture.

OTOP Zajki community reserve

On a national scale, we have converted more than 85 percent of the marshes. We have led to the desiccation of these unique ecosystems mainly due to agricultural activities. Today the problem is exacerbated by climate change. The situation is similar in many countries in our part of Europe, including Lithuania. Common challenges and goals are the reason why it is important to undertake projects across borders. Such was undoubtedly the Increasing capacities of stakeholders for agriculturally used peatland restoration in the crossborder region of Lithuania and Poland (SavePeatLands) project, implemented last year by the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP) and the Lithuanian Peatland Restoration and Protection Foundation (Pelkių atkūrimo ir apsaugos fondas) under the Interreg VI-A Lithuania-Poland program.

In the era of drought, wetland degradation is proceeding at an alarming rate. This has a negative impact on the climate and contributes to biodiversity depletion. Very rare species, specialized for life in specific conditions of high hydration of habitats, are being lost in this way. An example is the aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola – the only globally threatened passerine bird species in continental Europe. It is for its protection that the OTOP Zajki Social Reserve was established.

On the vast wetland complex located in the vicinity of Zajki, right on the border of the Biebrza National Park, OTOP has been using the marshy meadows in a regime that favors the breeding population of the species for almost 30 years. Currently, the biggest problem and at the same time a threat to the nature of the reserve is the shortage of water. It is due – on the one hand – to insufficient precipitation (in particular, the lack of snow cover in winter), and on the other – to the disturbances to which the hydrological system of the Narew River catchment has been subjected: intensification of agricultural activity, an increase in the areas subjected to sealing or, finally, the regulation of the river itself.

Thanks to a detailed hydrological analysis, we know that in order to achieve water conditions that are optimal for the conservation of the Zajki social reserve, actions within or even adjacent to OTOP-owned land will not be sufficient. At the same time, this is disturbing but crucial news that strongly directs future actions – the society itself can only have a limited impact on improving the hydrological conditions of its lands. Above all, what is needed are hard-to-implement, systemic solutions that address the entire hydrological system in the region and affect extensive restoration and soil retention activities at the scale of the entire catchment.

More about the reserve and its conservation priorities: Conservation concept for the OTOP Zajki social reserve

Wetland restoration vs. agricultural management

Most important in the whole process of wetland restoration are farmers. If we want to bring about a significant change, water must be retained on the land they own. Today, due to the politically driven conflict, most farmers are convinced that they will be forced into wetland measures that are very detrimental to the profitability of their farms. Both of these assumptions are wrong and the result of misinformation.

The EU Regulation on the Restoration of Natural Resources sets a target for the acreage of peatlands that must be restored (including rewetting). At the same time, it makes it clear that the state is responsible for achieving it, and that for farmers and women farmers, any action remains voluntary.

Why should farmers and farmworkers have a keen interest in participating in this process? The water shortage crisis negatively affects not only nature, but also the profitability of their operations. The Polish Economic Institute has calculated that the crops we lose on average every year due to droughts could be worth as much as 6.5 billion zlotys! At the same time, we know that measures to retain water in meadows and pastures are a great way for agriculture to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.

How to effectively implement increasing water retention in agricultural landscapes is discussed in detail in an expert report by Dr. Michal Korniluk: Nature conservation in semi-natural ecosystems dependent on extensive agricultural use vs. rewetting of drained peatlands

In this and other OTOP publications, we show that peatland protection and restoration can be reconciled with agricultural activities. The argument that it is possible to work together for the benefit of peatlands is provided by the results of the Marsh Meadows LIFE project.

Good example from Lithuania

Just a 20-minute drive south of Vilnius airport is a vast, nearly 900-hectare wetland complex where peat was mined until 70 years ago. In the 21st century, the White Waka wetlands were protected under the Natura 2000 network due to the amphibian and bird species found here.

A few years ago, the Lithuanian organization Baltic Environmental Forum launched a project here called LIFE Marsh Meadows, which aims to create and demonstrate the links between functioning natural ecosystems and economic benefits for local communities. An attempt was made to re-wet and restore the most valuable peatland ecosystems on a really large scale (650 hectares). At the same time, extensive grazing of Scottish cattle (Highland breed) and Samogitian horses was introduced through cooperation with a local farmer. Such use is conducive to maintaining the open character of the natural habitats, and together with the appropriate level of hydration, contributes to improving the situation of the most valuable plant and animal species.

We need more examples of successful implementations. We also need effective systemic solutions, including, most importantly, support for soil retention in agricultural landscapes. Farmers and farmers must be adequately rewarded for irrigating soils, and the amount of payment for the effort involved must take into account the value of public goods. Because clean water, biodiversity, climate and food security are resources we all benefit from!

Project information

Projecttitle : Increasing capacities of stakeholders for agriculturally used peatland restoration in the crossborder region of Lithuania and Poland (SavePeatLands)

Partners: the Foundation for the Restoration and Protection of Peatlands (VšĮ Pelkių atkūrimo ir apsaugos fondas), the All-Poland Society for the Protection of Birds

Co-financed by: the European Union as part of the Interreg VI-A Lithuania-Poland cooperation program, the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Bialystok, WWF Poland Foundation

Total budget of the project: 159,496.79 euros

ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) budget: 127,597.43 euros

OTOP’s total budget: €70,748.79

Implementation period: December 1, 2024. – November 30, 2025.

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MAIN PHOTO: Luke Mucha

Literature:

Markiewicz J., Ogórek S. 2022. economic costs of drought for Polish agriculture, Working Paper, No. 3, Polish Economic Institute, Warsaw.

Regulation (EU) of the European Parliament and of the Council 2024/1991 on the restoration of natural resources (Nature Restoration Regulation)