SMOKE ON WATER

Tables 1 and 2 list the top 20 countries in terms of estimated peatlands extent and peat carbon. Smoke on water It is important to not be distracted by discussions about definitions and organic soil classifications, or the lack of comprehensive peatland maps. The message is clear: any amount of peat is significant and efforts need to be made to preserve it in an intact state. This rapid response assessment is a call to action by the Global Peatlands Initiative. Both established and emerging science sends us a message to act now and to make the right policy and developmental choices. In September 2015 the world laid out an ambitious Agenda for Sustainable Development and a set of aspirational Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to “end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all” (UN, 2015). However, the increase in fire vulnerability of peatlands in countries like Indonesia and Russia has major impacts on their ability to meet the SDGs. This means that these and other countries with degraded peatlands will have to examine the best options to prevent further emissions while pursuing their options for sustainable development, including agricultural expansion and economic development, in order to achieve all of the SDGs. Peatlands must be treated as lands with a high climate mitigation potential that also offer strong opportunities for climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation and contribute significantly to sustainable development. (Wetlands International, 2015) (See appendix for additional information on the SDGs and peatlands.) It is a call to actors to identify and halt actions that drive the degradation of peatlands, a call to policy makers to take note and inspiration from the solutions and innovations presented here. It is a call to join in the Global Peatlands Initiative and chart a way forward for solid climate action – for the people and the planet. 2 . This table does not include recent discoveries in the Congo Basin and Peru. 3 . To provide a uniformstandard, the data concern peatlands with aminimum peat depth of 30 cm (historically based on ploughing depth). This criterion excludes many (sub)Arctic and (sub)alpine areas with a shallow peat layer. 4 . This table does not include recent discoveries in the Congo Basin and Peru. It is an urgent call to decision-makers to acknowledge the importance of peatlands.

Table 1. Top 20 countries with the largest peatland areas 2,3 (Adapted from Joosten 2010).

Peat area (sq. km) 1 375 690 1 133 926

Country Russia Canada Indonesia USA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

265 500 223 809 79 429 65 623 59 922 54 730 49 991 33 499 29 910 29 685 26 685 26 291 22 352 17 113 16 668 15 999 15 410 13 640

Finland Sweden Papua New Guinea Brazil Peru

China Sudan Norway

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Malaysia Mongolia Belarus United Kingdom Germany Republic of Congo

Zambia Uganda

Table 2. Top 20 countries with the largest peat carbon stocks (Mtonnes C) 2008 4 (Adapted from Joosten 2010).

Peat carbon stock 139 819 124 762

Country Canada Russia Indonesia USA Papua New Guinea Brazil Malaysia Finland Sweden China Norway Germany Venezuela Sudan United Kingdom Republic of Congo

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

48 993 26 454

5 427 4 934 4 926 4 802 4 535 2 924 2 023 1 830 1 799 1 796 1 583 1 451 1 345 1 198 1 184 1 079

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Mexico Uganda Belarus Democratic Republic of the Congo

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