Page 20 - Tallinna Ülikool

7.
Mire restoration reduces disappearance of the peat resource
Respect peat! It supports life when we allow it.
Mires are wetlands, dominated by living, peat-forming plants. Under conditions of almost permanent water saturation and conse- quent absence of oxygen, the remains of dead plants do not fully rot away but accumulate as peat. When the mire is in a natural state, the peat layer grows with an average of 1 mm for each year. e con ict comes because man- kind needs carbon-rich peat for heating homes and growing crops. Ten times more peat dis- appears from Estonia’s peatlands by drainage than mires in good condition can create.
If we want the peat to recover completely, we should restore peat growth on all drained peatlands and even create more mires – an utopian task.
It is essential to end the destruction of peat reserves in nature conservation areas and
on the residual peatlands, where the peat is no longer used but the decomposition of the remaining peat layer increases the emission of greenhouse gases and also contaminates in other ways – as ushing, volatility, etc.
e bog moss (Sphagnum) grows from the tip,
the dead parts of the plant are partially decom- posed and compacted. Below the water table level, in unaerobic conditions, a one millimeter thick peat layer will be added to the peat bog annually. Pieces of plants that have grown on site – birch bark, leaves of bog moss, seeds of bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) and others can be found in peat. According to these plant particles you can understand what this mire once was. / R. Pajula
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TEN REASONS TO RESTORE ESTONIAN MIRES / 2019