LIFEPeatLandUse: Quantification and valuation of ecosystem services to optimize sustainable re-use for low-productive drained peatlands (LIFE12 ENV/FI/000150)
Objectives and expected results
The aim of this project is to find cost-efficient re-use options to low-productive drained peatlands, which help to prevent or stop decline of biodiversity and environmental loading to water cources, and improve capacity of peatlands to store greenhouse gases. This is done by developing and demonstrating a decision support system, where ecological and economical information is aggregated to numerically optimize cost efficient land use options so that benefits from ecosystem services are safeguarded. Future scenarios on the impacts and cost efficiency of seven re-use options on ecosystem services are;
The aims of this project are:
- To develop and demonstrate a decision support system to quantify and value ecosystem services and optimize ecologically, economically and socio-culturally sustainable land use.
- To consolidate and increase the knowledge base on the impacts of peatland use on ecosystem services through the compilation of multiple datasets and state of the art modeling.
- To enhance general awareness, reduce conflicts, and promote stakeholder co-operation concerning the use of peatlands.
- To promote the sharing and utilization of long-term monitoring data and scientific information in the land use planning and decision making.
The project outcome is a decision-support system that can be used to illustrate the effects of different re-use options of low-productive drained peatlands on biodiversity, environmental loading and carbon sequestration. In addition to ecological impacts, the approach can be used to look at the costs and find the most profitable and acceptable option for stakeholders to safeguard ecosystem services. This approach will help land-use planners and decision-makers to make ecologically, economically and socio-culturally sustainable land use decisions.