Intensive use of drained peatlands contributes to poor water quality and a decline in biodiversity due to habitat loss and the leaching of nutrients and toxins. This project investigates paludiculture, the cultivation of marsh plants such as cattail on wet or rewetted peatlands, as a sustainable alternative for peatlands that is in line with EU targets for water quality and biodiversity. The results of this project can support farmers in applying for subsidies and exemptions from levies.

Expected findings

Paludiculture with cattail improves water quality by absorbing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, thereby reducing harmful leaching into surrounding waters. It also supports microbial processes that break down toxins, photodegradation by sunlight and filtration through the soil. In addition, some wetland plants can absorb heavy metals and other contaminants from the water.

Paludiculture promotes biodiversity by creating rare wetland habitats.

Birds, insects, and aquatic animals benefit from higher groundwater levels and seasonal management. Because cattail is harvested only after the breeding season, the field provides rest for breeding birds and stable habitats. Improvements in water quality and biodiversity can help farmers meet legal targets or qualify for subsidies. The harvested biomass can be sold for insulation or biobased materials.

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A major problem in peatland rehabilitation is: how do you confirm that the rehabilitation plan has been fully implemented? Rehabilitation plans can include thousands of drain blocks, which are difficult to validate cost-effectively. What solution or practice is proposed? Bord na Móna has developed a GIS system which allows for overflights of the rehabilitated peatland by drones to provide photographic evidence of the actual rehabilitation, which is then overlaid by the rehabilitation plan. The drain blocks are then certified as complete and in the right position, orientation and spacing. What are the results or benefits? This validation GIS layer then provides the evidence that the actual rehabilitation conforms to the rehabilitation plan without the costly and resource draining requirement to walk the whole peatland What should practitioners do? To implement this system requires a GIS system: A geographic information system (GIS) is a system that creates, manages, analyses and maps all types of data. GIS connects data to a map, integrating location data (where things are) with all types of descriptive information (what things are like there). These systems are available off the shelf and are not expensive. 

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• GIS Explained

Bord na Móna has rehabilitated 20,000 hectares of raised bog peatland over 32 individual bogs. Different rehabilitation methodologies are applied due to different cutaway environments and ground conditions (dry cutaway, wetland cutaway, deep peat cutaway).  The guiding principle for the enhanced rehabilitation measures is to ‘do the right thing in the right place’ - integrating the most suitable objectives and actions/interventions.  All this is collated in a Peatland Rehabilitation Plan:

1.1 Constraints and Limitations 

2. Methodology 

2.1 Desk Study 

2.2 Consultation

 2.3 Field Surveys 

3. Site Description 

3.1 Status and Situation 

3.1.1 Site history 

3.1.2 Current land-use 

3.1.3. Socio-Economic conditions 

3.2 Geology and Peat Depths 

3.3 Key Biodiversity Features of Interest 

3.3.1 Current habitats 

3.3.2 Species of conservation interest 

3.3.3 Invasive species 

3.4 Statutory Nature Conservation Designations 

3.4.1 Other Nature Conservation Designations 

3.5 Hydrology and Hydrogeology 

3.6 Emissions to surface-water and watercourses 

3.7 Fugitive Emissions to air 

3.8 Carbon emissions 

3.9 Current ecological rating 

4. Consultation 

4.1 Consultation to date 

4.2 Issues raised by Consultees 

4.3 Bord na Móna response to issues raised during consultation 

5. Rehabilitation Goals and Outcomes 

6. Scope of Rehabilitation 

6.1 Key constraints 6.2 

Key Assumptions

 6.3 Key Exclusions 

7. Criteria for successful rehabilitation 

7.1 Criteria for successful rehabilitation to meet EPA IPC licence conditions 

7.2. Critical success factors needed to achieve successful rehabilitation as outlined in the plan

36 8. Rehabilitation Actions and Time Frame 

8.1 Completed and ongoing 

8.2 Short-term planning actions (0-1 years) 

8.3 Short-term practical actions (0-2 years)

 8.4 Long-term (>3 years) 8.5 Timeframe 

8.6 Budget and costing 

9 Aftercare and Maintenance 

9.1 Programme for monitoring, aftercare and maintenance 

9.2 Rehabilitation plan validation and licence surrender – report as required under condition 10.4

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Peatland rehabilitation often requires the placement of weirs to retain water levels over the expanse of the peatland. There weirs are extremely difficult and expensive to install in the precise location and orientation as laid out by the rehabilitation plan’s hydrological requirements. What solution or practice is proposed? Bord na Móna has developed a process to install corrugated plastic weirs using a digger attachment. Firstly, in the ‘horizontal mode’, it places three integrated corrugated plastic weir sections in the right location and pushes them into the berm outfall. Secondly, in the ‘vertical mode’, it pushes the middle corrugated section down to the outfall level as specified by the hydrological plan. What are the results or benefits? This is a very cost-effective method to install weirs - two operators and a digger can install up to 40 weirs in a single day. Also, if after installation it becomes apparent that the water level needs to be adjusted, then the same attachment is a cost effective method to modify the water level. What should practitioners do? To implement this system requires a peatland compatible digger, correct digger attachment and skilled operators.

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If sustainable management of peat soils through Paludiculture is to become mainstream, hydrology must be controlled throughout the year based on crop requirements and land needs. It must be able to cope with extreme weather conditions, droughts and storm level events. At a local scale it is important to understand the effects of any hydrological management on: Water source and quality Effects on infrastructure Effects on neighbouring land both upstream and downstream. Water retention including storage and evaporation. Permissions required There is no simple solution, as hydrology control relies on field topography, source and where in the catchment it sits. We will take a holistic approach identifying different ways to do the following: Store water Minimise water loss Move water around the field or landscape. Mention key outcomes, improvements, or efficiencies gained To prevent water loss, natural materials such as mulch and plant species including Sphagnum moss can be used to minimise trans evaporation. It is important to build infrastructure such as blocks and bunds to maximise water retention and control, but these can also be used to protect infrastructure and prevent flooding of neighbouring land. From a practitioner/farmer perspective it is important to do a comprehensive baseline to informed decisions around how best to maximise water control and management and following ground works it is important to monitor water levels.

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Carbon offsetting schemes such as the IUCN UK Peatland Code require evidence of regular water table measurements to understand baseline conditions (e.g. 12 months data needed for fens) and validate that changes have occurred. Similarly, subsidies that encourage farmers to rewet, for example, the UK Countryside Stewardship scheme’s SW17 and SW18 options require monitoring evidence to support payments. Water table fluctuation in peatlands can be monitored through the installation of dipwells. Dipwells are constructed from 1 -1.2 m lengths of 40 mm or 68 mm diameter black waste pipe with 5 to 8 mm holes drilled at 100 mm intervals to allow water entry, starting 100 mm below the expected ground surface, and one additional hole above to allow air to enter and escape. The bottom of each dipwell is capped off using gaffer tape and the top with a cap or plastic bag held on by an elastic band to protect from rainfall. If the peat is very loose and powdery, a low dernier, thin material can be stretched over the pipe to prevent peat seeping into the holes. In soft peat, the dipwell may be pushed in directly, however, it’s better to make a hole using a peat corer or pipe. Water table can then be measured manually by lowering a tape measure until the water surface can be seen to move – a torch can help with this – or by using an automated logger. Readings are referenced to the ground surface.

• Palus Demos website - Practice Abstracts

In the Netherlands dairy farming relies on the cultivation of fodder on drained peatlands. Drainage leads to the exposure of the peat soils to oxygen, resulting in soil subsidence and elevated CO2 emissions. Drained agricultural peatlands cover 6% of the land area in the Netherlands, releasing 3% of the total national CO2 emissions, hence a more sustainable production of crops is necessary. Paludiculture, the practice of agriculture on wetland soils, is defined by a high-water table, and is proposed as a sustainable agricultural practice. Common bulrush is a common paludiculture crop that is experimentally produced in the Netherlands to be used as insulation material. While these wet conditions are unsuitable for CO2 producing microbes, they are favoured by CH4 producing microbes. In addition, the production of CO2 and CH4 is thought to be tightly coupled with the Typha’s growth and seasonality. It is useful to understand the balance between the changes in concentration of CO2 and CH4 and underlying mechanisms. In this study, we will measure CO2 and CH4 emissions from a common bulrush paludiculture site. To do so, we will employ an Eddy Covariance tower that continuously measures air samples, changes in concentration and direction of CO2 and CH4 fluxes. We will assess the influence of seasonality, plant growth and diurnal rhythms on emissions. Furthermore, we will study emission mechanisms in the soil and surface water. This way, the effectiveness of paludiculture for reducing carbon emissions will be tested. Knowledge of these emissions will help develop the Palus Demos AI tool for farmers to understand the potential emissions reduction if they were to transition to paludiculture and if they are eligible for monetary compensation.

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Energy transition in the Netherlands has gained momentum. Liquid gas retrieval from the Groninger fields will end in 2030. The Dutch government is set to switch to a green circular economy by 2050, including a scaleup process for biobased building (National Need Biobased Building-NABB). New builds or transformations will have be more sustainable and circular, requiring biobased building and insulation materials. New insulation material is being investigated, made of locally grown biomass from the swamp plant Typha. Growing Typha on rewetted, formerly agricultural used drained peatlands - paludiculture - reduces or even stops the emission of CO2 from the peat soil, thus contributing to EU climate goals. Paludiculture improves overall water quality, biodiversity and minimises nitrogen loads. Typha (cattail or bulrush) is a wetland plant whose fast‐growing biomass can be transformed into load-bearing, insulating panels— ‘Typhaboard’. Two sorts of criteria are used to evaluate the suitability of Typha insulation for emission reduction and the circular economy: 1. Improve the CO2 footprint of building activities, considering: growth & harvesting of the material, processing of material & transport, use of rest streams. 2. Avoid or diminish problems related to the reuse and recycling of components and materials from construction, considering: recycling and reuse of materials e.g. to insulate buildings, replacement of fossil fuel based (insulation) products with biobased alternatives and avoidance of toxic substance use. Typha can grow prolifically in nutrient-rich, rewetted peat fenlands, producing yields up to 15 t/ha of dry mass annually, while purifying water and preventing erosion. Native throughout large parts of Europe, it can support local value chains.

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Parts of the Dutch provinces Friesland, North Holland, South Holland and Overijssel are known for their iconic polder landscapes featuring peat meadows —grasslands on peat soils. Originally low-lying peatlands reclaimed as early as the Middle Ages, they have undergone intensified drainage over the past 70 years to support agricultural production, particularly dairy farming. Drainage keeps the peat soil dry, enabling mechanised agriculture. However, draining peatlands has significant downsides. Besides causing soil compaction, it exposes peat to oxygen, leading to decomposition—known as peat oxidation. This decomposition results in irreversible soil subsidence and the release of greenhouse gases.  Raising groundwater levels is key to slowing peat oxidation and soil subsidence. However, wetter soils present challenges for traditional dairy farming, such as reduced bearing capacity for farm machinery and livestock. As groundwater levels rise, dairy farming is expected to become less intensive and some areas will become unsuitable for it entirely. In these wet conditions, paludiculture—the cultivation of wetland crops such as Typha (cattail)—offers both ecological and economic potential. Paludiculture can, in principle, offer an alternative income for dairy farmers and landowners under wet soil conditions, with water levels just below or slightly above the surface (<20 cm). The crops, particularly Typha, have market potential—for example, as a sustainable raw material for biobased construction products. Given these promising perspectives, the Palus Demos demonstration site in the Netherlands will scale up Typha cultivation and showcase the full value chain—from crop cultivation and harvest to fiber processing and product development. To find out more about Palus Demos Practice Abstract #2, please visit Practice abstracts - Palus Demos

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Farming on peat has become challenging in many parts of England due to the soil resource degrading through shrinkage and erosion. This in turn is a major source of carbon emissions. The UK government, through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, recognises the need to change the way peat is farmed. As part of wider work in this area the government is introducing four options to subsidise farming on peat. This aims to raise the water table to help stabilise the resource and reduce emissions. There are two options for grassland and two options for arable, both offering payments for sustaining water tables of 10-30cm below surface and 30-50cm below surface. At Moss Side Farm we will demonstrate both water table regimes on arable using two different grain crops. We will also have a control site for each crop with unimpeded drainage which will allow monitoring of various parameters across the differing environments. We have dug through the existing land drains to isolate the field from the main drainage ditches and dug ditches around six plots. Each plot has adjustable weirs to hold back the water to the levels outlined above. The aim is to demonstrate that a commercially viable food crop can be produced on both raised water tables, and over the four-year project, to look at efficiencies to provide the best outcomes for farmers that are able to replicate this system. We will also collect data from the plots, combined with that from nearby sites to provide evidence on gas exchange and hydrological differentials with these land management approaches. Practitioners seeking to enter these agreements can contact the Defra Peat Team or the Natural England Team below for further information.

christopher.evans@naturalengland.org.uk

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