About the event
In Europe, there is a huge current interest in paludiculture: the productive land use of wet and rewetted peatlands. In lowlands, this is primarily framed as a means to reduce carbon emissions from drained agricultural land and extend its commercially viable lifespan. The impacts of paludiculture on the natural environment has been relatively neglected.
We invite you to join a short online workshop to explore the known and potential impacts of paludiculture on the natural environment.
We’ll think about impacts on biodiversity, soils, hydrology, water quality, and natural beauty – both within paludiculture sites and across the landscape. We’ll explore possible means to maximise opportunities and minimise threats of paludiculture for the natural environment. The focus will on lowland peatlands in England, but we’d love to draw on expertise from across Europe and the world!
There will be a mixture of presentations (a small part of the workshop) and group discussions (most of the workshop). You’re welcome to bring your lunch/coffee/snacks. The workshop will be held in English.
Attendees should be willing to contribute to group discussions. You may have knowledge/experience of paludiculture specifically. But we’d also welcome anyone not familiar with paludiculture but with related expertise (e.g. in soils, hydrology, biodiversity, agroecology, peatland restoration) that we might be able to learn from.
The results will contribute to a report for Natural England to inform their policy around paludiculture, and potentially a peer-reviewed scientific publication. You can opt-in to be acknowledged on these, and there may be co-authoring opportunities.
Register here: https://forms.gle/jaVYBE5uq5gmHWN76
Contact for any other questions: Nigel Taylor (Ecological Consultant and Research Associate, University of Cambridge, UK) nt461@cam.ac.uk
