SMOKE ON WATER

can be summarized into five main areas of need for peatlands to support the UN Secretary General’s call for Climate Action. These needs will vary between countries: 1. Better understanding of the state and extent of global peatlands – this information is necessary to better inform peatland management for climate change mitigation and provision of ecosystem services. 2. Improved understanding of the contribution of peatlands to greenhouse gas fluxes – sequestration and emissions. 3. Better understanding of the costs and benefits of peatland restoration for delivering ecosystem services, and the opportunity costs of a ‘do nothing’ or ‘business as usual’ approach. 4. Monitoring the state of peatlands and research into appropriate restoration techniques suited to different types and locations, with knowledge exchange playing an important part. 5. Consistent methodologies in peatland research to enable better evaluation and comparison of published studies. The Global Peatlands Initiative is an effort to establish a much-needed network where academics, practitioners and policy-makers work together to identify research needs and

develop solutions. Strengthening this network will ensure the relevance of any work conducted and the swift integration of results into practical delivery. This structure will also enable knowledge exchange and sharing of good practice to better inform peatland restoration, sustainable use and conservation work in the future.

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