• April 30, 2025

The importance of stakeholder engagement in Germany

Stakeholder engagement is of the greatest importance when it comes to the rewetting of peatlands in Germany. As 98 percent of Germany’s peatlands have been drained for agriculture, forestry or peat cutting, any restoration work requires close collaboration with local stakeholders. In LIFE Multi Peat’s project site Häsener Luch, located in the state of Brandenburg, yearly stakeholder events are an important tool to achieve this aim.

In late 2024, the LIFE Multi Peat project team organised a one-day workshop in an old granary in the village of Häsen. Having become something of a local institution, the Multi Peat events now spark ever-growing interest from local stakeholders. Representatives from water and nature conservation authorities, regional governments as well as local landowners and users joined the Multi Peat team to hear about and discuss the progress of the restoration project. 

Of primary interest to landowners and users: the presented results of an experimental ditch blocking effort, started in June 2023. To gain the support and commitment of local farmers, three main drainage ditches in Häsen were closed for test purposes. The reason behind the test was twofold. Over the course of two years, farmers and landowners would have the chance to observe and adapt to rising water levels on their land before committing to a permanent rewetting. In addition, the trial would provide our team with valuable insights into the hydrological setting and the behaviour of water flows. While we found that two adjustable ditch blocks were quite successful in retaining water in the peatland, the third failed almost entirely to do so, for yet unknown reasons. The planning of additional restoration measures will now constitute the next step towards reaching a full rewetting of the site. 

The second part of the workshop centred around the question of alternative land use options. Once full rewetting is achieved, farmers will likely need to adapt their land use practices to the new hydrological conditions. The concept of “paludiculture”, the agricultural use of wet peatlands, has gained much attention in Central Europe over the past years. Multiple pilot projects are currently trying to establish new value chains involving typical wetland plants such as reeds or cattails. To identify the most promising agricultural uses, as well as processing and retailing opportunities on our site in Häsen, a feasibility study was conducted during 2024, with results presented at the workshop. 

Finally, the workshop was also used for knowledge exchange and networking. Inviting representatives from two neighbouring peatland restoration projects allowed for a lively exchange on challenges in peatland restoration across different sites. Government representatives also presented new funding opportunities for farmers who voluntarily commit to rewetting drained peatlands.

Being an annual highlight of our collaboration with local stakeholders in Häsen, our team is already looking forward to the next years’ events and discussing additional formats of collaboration with local villagers.

The full report can be accessed below (in German).