• October 15, 2023

LIFE Multi Peat Meeting Netherlands ’23

Arrival with the partners at Witte Veen, Ranger from Natuurmonumenten explains the hydrology from Witte Veen. 

LIFE Multi Peat is a project to restore and manage peatlands in Poland, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. Together with the partners of the LIFE Multi Peat, we ensure that unique nature like the Dutch Witte Veen is restored. The partners Natuurpunt, NABU, OTOP, Eurosite, University of Galway and Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics visited Natuurmonumenten in October 2023. In this article you can read more about what this year Partner meeting had to offer.  

Special about this LIFE grant is its research aspect, which was central to the program from the meeting in Witte Veen on Tuesday 10 October. At the Witte Veen site area researchers from the different partners collected data on greenhouse gasses using flux chambers. On Wednesday 11 October the collected data was compared by the same group of experts at the Natuurmonumenten head office in Amersfoort. The aim of this exercise is to establish an identical way to measure greenhouse gas emissions. 

In addition to research, the LIFE Multi Peat project is also focused on influencing European policy that positively affects peatlands protection. On Wednesday 11 October our partner NABU among others led a policy workshop, which discussed the European Peatland Policy Working Group. 

On Thursday 12 October all delegates met and the progress of five restoration sites was discussed. The day led to interesting discussions with our international partners and ended with dinner and drinks.  

These conversations continued on the bus to Witte Veen on Friday morning. Once arrived by bus in natural area Witte Veen, colleagues of Natuurmonumenten guided the group along the Witte Veen and showed the progress off the nature restoration in this area. During the field visit they received many questions, including about the history of the area, the iron oxide that is visible after scraping, the recovering raised peat, the grazers and the future of the area. After the field visit, lunch was ready and provided by a local entrepreneur.

All the meetings: the Calibration workshop, policy meeting, Partner meeting and the field visit this week made a major contribution to continuing the good work for LIFE Multi Peat to restore and manage peatlands. Natuurmonumenten received many enthusiastic responses about the nature restoration in the Witte Veen as well as our beautiful office in Amersfoort. We’re looking forward to the next LIFE Multi Peat visit