Reconciling commercial exploitation of peat with biodiversity in peatland ecosystems (EU Project RECIPE)
Abstract
RECIPE is a three-year (2003-05) European Commission project funded within Framework 5, involving ten partners in the UK, France, Switzerland, Finland and Germany. RECIPE is designed to provide information to assist conservationists and managers of peat extraction with options to restore peat accumulation and carbon sequestration in peatlands that have either been abandoned or designated for restoration. The objectives are to identify those combinations of water table, vegetation, microbiology and chemistry favorable to the reestablishment of peatland biodiversity and long-term regeneration. The novel approach of this project is to focus on the relationship between the development of microbial diversity and the processes governing C cycling. The ultimate goal will be to develop indicators of change in physical, chemical and biological characteristics of peat. Studies will be made of a range of regenerating peatlands as well as detailed regeneration experiments at specific sites. The specific objectives, methodologies, and some results will be presented. By achieving these objectives in the context of current management practices, RECIPE will provide guidelines for sustainable management that will reconcile peat use with the maintenance of biodiversity.