Project type: Land Use and Forestry
Project location: Germany, Lower Saxony
Project status: In operation, credits available
Emission reductions over 50 years: 15.508 tCO2e
The project is rewetting 13.4 hectares of the drained Gnarrenburg moor, which was previously used as intensive agricultural grassland. Various measures keep the water in the area and thus stop climate-damaging emissions. The project in the Teufelsmoor area in Lower Saxony is considered an innovative flagship project due to the "paludiculture" used. The rewetting also benefits the typical bog biodiversity in the region.
The project area is located in the Gnarrenburger Moor and is part of the approximately 36,080-hectare Teufelsmoor, Lower Saxony's largest moorland area. It was drained in the 18th century for agriculture and peat extraction. As a result, the carbon in the exposed peat combines with oxygen from the atmosphere and CO2 emissions are produced.
As of 2024, over 90 per cent of all moorland in Germany has been drained. Almost 80 per cent of this is used for agriculture. This causes enormous greenhouse gas emissions. In Lower Saxony alone, emissions from drained peatlands account for almost 18 per cent of all emissions in the federal state. Peatlands therefore offer huge potential for climate protection and climate adaptation of the natural and cultural landscape in Germany. Thanks to rewetting, peatlands once again fulfil their function as carbon reservoirs and greenhouse gas emissions are halted. In addition, new habitats for typical moorland plants and animals are being created in the Gnarrenburger Moor.
Innovative lighthouse project with paludiculture
The project is regarded as a pioneering and flagship project. It is the first MoorFutures project in Lower Saxony in which peat moss cultivation is being established alongside rewetting. This agricultural use of the rewetted moor, known as paludiculture, enables the cultivated peat moss to be used as a substitute for peat in the soil industry. The project owner ZukunftMoor Gnarrenburg GmbH is a pioneer in this field of business. Thanks to the unique combination of climate protection and sustainable agriculture in moorland regions, this project is set to find imitators of paludiculture.
Peatlands are the largest natural carbon reservoirs we have. By rewetting them, we are turning them back into the climate protectors they have always been.
The area is being rewetted by destroying drainage channels and creating polders with embankments. A water management system is also being installed. This provides sufficient water for the first few years of peat moss growth, even during periods of drought. The grown peat moss then absorbs the rainwater like a sponge and retains it in the area in the long term. The resulting layer of water stops greenhouse gas emissions. Construction work for the rewetting began in October 2024. The project area should be fully established in the course of 2025.
Climate protection contributions enable rewetting
With the help of climate protection contributions, the planning for the site establishment and for the authorisations by the district authorities, the certification of the MoorFutures, the securing of the area, the construction measures and the monitoring of the project over 50 years are co-financed. The climate protection potential of the project area was calculated using the scientific GEST (Greenhouse Gas Emission Site Types) approach. To this end, the peat thickness was determined, the vegetation mapped, water levels and emission values of the dry state as well as the annual emissions saved through rewetting were derived. The calculation was carried out conservatively, i.e. with low assumed values. In addition, N2O emissions were not taken into account. A risk reserve of 30 per cent was deducted in order to minimise further risks of overestimation and to avoid not achieving the forecast emissions reduction.
The project area becomes the property of the project owner ZukunftMoor Gnarrenburg GmbH. It is anchored in the land register that the project area serves the purposes of moor and climate protection. This means that the area may not be drained again, even in the event of a change of ownership. The climate impact is thus permanently secured beyond the duration of the project.
Recognised German MoorFutures standard
The project was developed under the MoorFutures standard. This is a German standard for the standardised quantification and validation of climate protection services of rewetted peatlands. Further information on the MoorFutures standard can be found on the MoorFutures website.
*as at the end of 2024. Find out how myclimate reports these SDGs in our FAQ
A rewetted moor improves flood protection and water pollution control.
Rewetted peatlands are large carbon reservoirs and demonstrably avoid greenhouse gas emissions.
13.4 hectares are being rewetted and provide a valuable habitat for typical moorland animal and plant species.
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