Water returns to peatlands. How knowledge, practice and cooperation bring wetlands back to life?

For many years, scientists have pointed out that the role of peatlands is crucial in combating climate change and drought. In the project Nature-based solutions in open wetlands restoration for biodiversity, water quality improvement and climate mitigation, implemented by the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds (OTOP) with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers and partners from Finland (Snowchange Cooperative) and Ukraine (Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group), water became a shared reference point for naturalists, hydrologists… and farmers, even in the face of war in Ukraine.

Knowledge – where it all begins

Knowledge was the starting point. In 2024, the OTOP team, together with scientists involved in preparing the publication, developed the Practical manual on rewetting drained peatlands, which compiles experiences from Poland and Iceland. The authors went beyond theory, describing specific methods for restoring the natural hydrological regime. Among them were simple field solutions: blocking drainage ditches and building small weirs to retain water in the landscape.

Renaturation is about bringing water back where it has always been – we just forgot about it – says Aleksandra Pępkowska-Król, project coordinator and agriculture expert at OTOP.

The manual has an open character – it combines hydrological, ecological and agricultural perspectives, showing that maintaining appropriate water levels does not exclude land use. For many farms, this is the first truly practical tool that helps plan work with respect for both water and soil.

ENGLISH VERSION OF THE MANUAL: https://otop.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Manual-on-petlands-rewetting_final.pdf
POLISH VERSION OF THE MANUAL:
https://otop.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Praktyczny-podrecznik-ponownego-nawadniania-osuszonych-torfowisk_final-1.pdf

Water in the field: study visit

The next step was a study visit held in April 2025. Together with planners, representatives of administration and environmental organisations, we visited areas where wetland restoration has been ongoing for several years.

In the field, we saw how the landscape is slowly reborn thanks to water returning to circulation. During the discussions, one theme came to the forefront: cooperation. Planners, hydrologists and ecologists increasingly sit at the same table. Together, they learn how to reconcile water retention with land use. It is water (or rather, its absence) that represents the shared concern of hydrologists, farmers and conservationists alike.

The most valuable aspect of these actions is that we combine experiences. Each of us looks from a different perspective, but we all want water to be visible in the landscape – says Aleksandra Pępkowska-Król.

During the visit, we also talked about extensive farming. In many places, instead of ploughing and draining, it is possible to use crops that better tolerate moisture. Reeds, sedges and reed canary grass from wetlands provide biomass and compost sources, while strengthening soil structure and reducing evaporation. In this way, farms can gain a new direction of development in which water, instead of being an obstacle, becomes a condition for sustainability. Most importantly, such activities should only be implemented where appropriate and not threatening valuable habitats and species.

STUDY VISIT: https://otop.org.pl/2025/04/23/wspolne-dzialania-na-rzecz-mokradel-wizyta-studyjna/

A common voice for wetlands: conference on peatlands and security

In June 2025, an international conference on peatland protection was held. It brought together nearly 200 scientists, practitioners, representatives of administration and also experts in security and defence. Together they sought to answer how peatland restoration fits not only into the return to a natural hydrological regime considering agricultural needs, but also into the broader context of national resilience.

Presentations showed that wetlands – carbon sinks and habitats for many species – are also natural hydrological barriers that slow surface runoff, stabilise groundwater and increase air humidity. Their importance is growing, and peatland protection should be included in spatial planning, especially in the context of rebuilding areas affected by war. From a defence perspective, such areas are also important as zones difficult for heavy equipment to cross – they serve as natural buffer zones.

Water must be treated strategically. Where we maintain its natural circulation, we gain resilience – ecological, agricultural and social – explains Dr Sviataslau Valasiuk, cooperation specialist (OTOP).

During the conference, we referred to data showing measurable effects of restoring the hydrological regime. In Paweł Pawlaczyk’s presentation, it was shown that wetland restoration brings tangible economic benefits: in the Strategy for the protection of wetlands in Poland 2022–2032, the cost–benefit ratio was estimated at approx. EUR 7 billion vs EUR 18.5 billion, while per hectare of peatland, water retention value was estimated at around EUR 334/ha and carbon storage at around EUR 186/ha (a total of EUR 520/ha). These figures illustrate well why keeping water in the landscape stabilises agricultural production and strengthens community resilience.

In concluding the conference, we discussed the future – the need for ongoing cooperation between farmers, water services, scientists and local governments. Wetland restoration has proven not to be a single project but a process that requires shared responsibility.

CONFERENCE RECORDING AND PRESENTATIONS: https://otop.org.pl/2025/06/30/zapis-wideo-oraz-prezentacje-z-miedzynarodowej-konferencji-o-ochronie-torfowisk/

A shared language of water

Every stage of the project confirmed our belief that water is the common denominator. For farmers, it is a source of livelihood; for naturalists, the foundation of conservation and restoration; for planners, a guarantee of balance in the landscape.

Water knows no boundaries, and we are increasingly learning to think about it the same way. It allows agriculture, nature and security to meet at one point. Restoring the hydrological regime is not a purely technical action, but an expression of shared care for the future – underlines Dr Jarosław Krogulec, director for nature conservation (OTOP).

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main photo: Wiesław Król

Project information:
Project title: Nature-based solutions in open wetlands restoration for biodiversity, water quality improvement and climate mitigation (Polish: Rozwiązania oparte na przyrodzie w przywracaniu otwartych terenów podmokłych dla wsparcia różnorodności biologicznej, poprawy jakości wody i łagodzenia skutków zmian klimatu).
Implementation period: 1 October 2024 – 30 September 2025.
Project budget: 509,975 Danish kroner.
Project partners: Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (Українська природоохоронна група, Ukraine) and Snowchange Cooperative (Finland).
Funding: Nordic Council of Ministers (Nordisk Ministerråd).