Expected Outcomes

Reduced emission of greenhouse gases

Expected change in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions following restoration via Sphagnum farming

Pindstrup administers approx. 2,000 ha in Denmark, - a large part (approx. 1,000 ha) is drained raised bog and the rest is mainly lowland soil with high content of organic matter. There is a significant emission from this area.

By raising the water table to surface level, the emission is expected to be reduced to a minimal level, - provided that the area is nutrient-poor, and decomposition of plant residues is thereby minimised. If at the same time we can establish Sphagnum plants in growth, - and harvest this biomass to use it as a biogenic raw material, we will reduce the need to use drained raised bog areas for extraction of peat. We expect to be able to harvest the areas every third year, and while the areas grow in, they will function as a bog biotope for the benefit of insects and small animals.

We furthermore expect that the project will function as a reference project for a large part of the lowland areas (raised bogs and others) that are to be taken out of operation in connection with the green tripartite agreement. Inernet Field Map (IMK) states that there are 25,000 ha of drained raised bog

From Pindstrup’s raised bog areas alone, there will be a potential reduction of 10,600 tonnes CO2e/year, while the potential to restore 20% of the agricultural areas on raised bog in Denmark will be 177,000 tonnes CO2e/year.

Increased nature and biodiversity

The objective of the project is to re-establish Sphagnum in former raised bogs. This is expected to be possible by spreading donor Sphagnum in areas where the water table is adjusted to a few cm below terrain. When the Sphagnum vegetation has established itself, some of the areas are expected to transition to natural areas.

The original raised-bog nature and biodiversity are then expected to be able to develop faster because the water-retaining ability of the Sphagnum vegetation ensures natural hydrology to a greater extent than when drainage is simply interrupted after the areas have been taken out of production-related operation. Increased water table in raised-bog areas will lead to a re-establishment of the biotope’s flora and fauna. The potential is that the total raised-bog area in Denmark is converted to bog in growth.