optimal policy instruments; best management practices; CO2 emission; organic soil; Peatlands; Carbon input
Ferré Marie, Muller Adrian, Leifeld Jens, Bader Cédric, Müller Moritz, Engel Stefanie, Wichmann Sabine (2019), Sustainable management of cultivated peatlands in Switzerland: Insights, challenges, and opportunities, in
Land Use Policy, 87, 104019-104019.
Ferré Marie, Engel Stefanie, Gsottbauer Elisabeth (2018), Which Agglomeration Payment for a Sustainable Management of Organic Soils in Switzerland? – An Experiment Accounting for Farmers' Cost Heterogeneity, in
Ecological Economics, 150, 24-33.
Bader Cédric, Müller Moritz, Schulin Rainer, Leifeld Jens (2018), Peat decomposability in managed organic soils in relation to land use, organic matter composition and temperature, in
Biogeosciences, 15(3), 703-719.
Bader Cédric, Müller Moritz, Szidat Sönke, Schulin Rainer, Leifeld Jens (2018), Response of peat decomposition to corn straw addition in managed organic soils, in
Geoderma, 309, 75-83.
Bader C., Müller M., Schulin R., Leifeld J. (2017), Amount and stability of recent and aged plant residues in degrading peatland soils., in
Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 167-175.
Wüst-Galley C., Leifeld J. (2016), Loss of the soil carbon storage function of drained forested peatlands, in
Mires and Peat, 18, article 7.
Drainage of peatlands for agricultural purposes leads to a rapid loss of carbon as CO2 due to peat oxidation. In Switzerland these emissions are in the range of 14 % of direct agricultural emissions. In addition to its GHG emission potential, peat oxidation goes along with soil degradation and the loss of important soil and ecosystem functions. Alternative management options that are able to reduce soil-borne emissions must be based on sound knowledge of the site-specific vulnerability to further organic matter loss and the role of previous and current land-use and management. These management options must be supported by policy instruments that are specifically designed for their implementation at the regional scale. The project aims to identify approaches towards a more sustainable use of drained peatlands by combining bio-physical evidence, management information and adopted policy instruments for implementation. The scientific project goals are to (i) evaluate site-specific proxies for the potential CO2 loss from managed peatlands based on organic matter quality, (ii) identify site-specific appropriate management practices, directed towards a more sustainable soil use, based on current practices and management records and (iii) develop optimal policy instruments, that set incentives to implement these site-specific, customized management practices at a broader scale, while still allowing for certain trade-offs between conflicting goals. The project is embedded in a framework of ongoing activities of the three research groups involved, will consult key stakeholders from various administrative bodies and will be supervised by experienced investigators.