Mire as a matter of the heart

A heritage of nature, unique and many thousands of years old.

Such legendary, enchanted landscapes can still be found all over the world today - and so too on the western edge of the Lüneburg Heath nature reserve, near the small town of Schneverdingen. The area to which our attention is directed is called the Pietzmoor complex. It is composed of the Bockheberer Moor, the Möhrer Moor, the Pietzmoor and the Freyersener Moor. Moor growth here began after the end of the last ice age and was favoured by depressions above impermeable clay layers in the subsoil. Sufficient precipitation led to a surplus of water, which favoured the growth of peat mosses, the building blocks of the moors. And this is not a matter of course in the case of the Pietzmoor: this high moorland landscape of about 450 ha has developed on the border between the Atlantic and continental climate zones. Here, the amount of precipitation is just sufficient to allow the development of a raised bog. Over the course of about 8,000 years, the peat mosses, the so-called sphagnums, grew very slowly but steadily out of the influence of the groundwater. A bog of up to 7 metres in height formed, which overgrew the hollow in the shape of a primal glass over the course of several thousand years. It is hard to imagine the history and stories that this bog has "experienced“. 

The moor from a scientific point of view.

Today, the term moor is only used for a very special type of wetland. The decisive factor is that the natural product peat is formed. As a very wet ecosystem, a raised bog represents a very special habitat. As mentioned at the beginning, it lives without the influence of groundwater and is fed by precipitation water. In this case, we speak of ombrogenic bogs, which are also called "rain bogs".

Raised bogs are also very low in nutrients. Thus they offer challenging conditions for flora and fauna: a unique habitat for highly specialised species. Characteristic plants are the sphagnum mosses (sphagens), the indispensable building blocks of peatlands. Their tactic: over the course of decades, they lose their connection to the substrate, the water, and grow only on their own old, dead plant remains. The peat moss grows towards the light, and very slowly, at only about 1 mm per year. In this process, the lower part of the plant dies - and peat is formed from these dead plant remains. This consists almost exclusively of carbon compounds.  

An area of approx. 1 m² can be renatured with just 1 euro.

Important for the climate.

Now a reaction occurs that is relevant for the climate: if there is enough water in the body of the peat (i.e. the peat body plus the thin uppermost layer of the regenerating peat mosses), the peat does not come into contact with oxygen - and the carbon remains stored.

Thus moors represent a very significant carbon store. And this can be proven with impressive figures: Moors store around 30 per cent of the earth's carbon. According to BUND, moors worldwide bind twice as much CO₂ as all forests put together. And this despite the fact that the area of moorlands is significantly smaller than the area of forests. Thus, moorlands represent a very significant carbon store.

However, many moors around the world are not doing very well these days. Moors are drained for agricultural and forestry use and for peat extraction. In some areas, peat extraction is even allowed in Germany today, although the moors here needed 1,000 years to grow just one metre. 

The extracted peat is usually used as a soil substrate for commercial horticulture or as an admixture for the potting soil from the garden centre around the corner. Fortunately, peat-free substitutes are now available, at least for potting soil at home. Manufacturers are conducting intensive research on the subject of "peat substitute products". But replicating the outstanding properties of peat has proven to be very difficult.  

Peat cutting and drainage - disastrous for the moor ecosystem.

But what happens when the peat is not degraded but is also no longer saturated with water? Drainage causes air to enter the bog body, which mineralises the peat. As a result, large amounts of stored CO₂ and also nitrous oxide (N₂O) escape. Irreversible processes are initiated by drainage, which lead to rapid deterioration of a peatland. Erosion, peat loss, subsidence and shrinkage occur. Drained moors lead to considerable environmental pollution, they not only release a large amount of greenhouse gases but also carry nutrients into adjacent water bodies.  

It is possible to revitalise drained or degraded moorlands.

In addition, the dry peat is very flammable. Thus, if a bog fire spreads underground and burns for a long time, large amounts of stored carbon can be released extremely quickly. Drainage also changes the landscape water balance. Moorlands lose their function as water filters and reservoirs. As an intact moor, they serve as a natural buffer. Due to the swelling capacity of the peat and the ability of the vegetation to float, peatlands can store large amounts of water. Precipitation water can be absorbed and is only released again after a delay. They thus make an important contribution to dampening flood peaks.  

Help for the moors - the earlier, the better.
That is why it is particularly important to preserve as many moorlands as possible and to carry out renaturation measures. Because: it is possible to revive drained or degraded moors. At least as long as the drying peat mosses are still able to resume their function as water reservoirs when the water returns after renaturation. 

The opportunity for the Pietzmoor complex.
Despite the drainage measures carried out for decades to enable peat to be extracted using the hand-dug peat method, the Pietzmoor is in large areas a "raised bog still capable of renaturation". In some areas, it was even possible to preserve the habitat type "living raised bog". There are several options for revitalising a raised bog. The most important measure is the rewetting of the bog body. If it is possible to re-wet the areas by retaining precipitation water, other measures are of secondary importance: Keeping water in the area would be done by closing existing drainage ditches.  

The challenge is clear..
If a moor is degenerated, birch and pine growth will increase. This growth affects the natural raised bog vegetation in different ways. The emerging woody plants shade the natural vegetation, additional water is extracted from the bog body through evaporation, and the vegetation dies due to leaf fall. One measure to counteract this is the removal of the overgrowth (debris removal) by human hand or by grazing with moorland sheep and goats.

Such efforts are also being made in the Pietzmoor. Until the end of this year, measures funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the European Union are still running under the funding guideline "Special Species and Biotope Protection (SAB)" under the beautiful project title "Continuation of the raised bog renaturation measures in the Pietzmoor complex", which aims to promote value-giving species and biotic communities in a raised bog that is as intact and largely open as possible. In order to achieve this goal, wet parts of the Pietzmoor are de-wetted and the regrowth is pushed back. On large areas, heavy equipment has been used at times to create open moor areas by removing woody plants. Chambers are built and the rewetted areas are grazed by a herd of Schnucken. It is important to realise that it is always a variety of measures that benefit the diversity of species typical of the moor. The moor can only be healthy through teamwork. 

A home for beautiful specialists.
Animals of the most diverse species will benefit: for example, the highly endangered butterflies, the high moorland blue and the large meadow bird - their areas of occurrence are to increase over time in the Pietzmoor. It remains to be seen whether species such as the Lung Gentian Blue and the Cranberry Fritillary, which have not been recorded in the moor for years, will also feel attracted to the renaturalised moor landscape. There is hope that these species could survive in other bogs and find a home in the Pietzmoor complex. The same applies to the heat-loving grasshopper species, the variegated grasshopper. A healthy Pietzmoor also provides a nice home for warm-blooded reptiles such as the adder, the common lizard and the sand lizard. 

and the clearing of further areas attracts them. If we take a look at the world of the flying artists, it becomes clear that the emerald dragonfly is ideally adapted to extreme moorland locations and nutrient-poor conditions. Thus, it too will be delighted by the renaturation measures and will hopefully soon be detected in larger numbers. The blue moor frog and the impressive black grouse are slowly reclaiming the Pietzmoor - and show how gratefully nature accepts our measures. When you think of all these specialised and beautiful species, the word moor doesn't give you goose bumps at all, but rather makes you beam with joy. 

Small investment, big profit.
With just 1 euro, an area of about 1 m² can be renatured. This means that with 500,000 euros we can significantly improve the conservation status of about 50 ha of moorland. For sustainable and permanently successful renaturation measures, however, we need a lot of staying power. This is because the peat pads, which have fallen dry in the meantime, need many years to become saturated with water again. In addition, peat cutting has greatly changed the relief of the peatlands. In the meantime, there are again desirably wet areas - but these are offset by (too) many areas that need further relief measures. And that is what we are working on. Together with you. 

Your contribution - our thanks.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Prof. Steinkraus Research Laboratories GmbH, who have provided us with substantial financial support for the Pietzmoor Complex. And by buying the products you are not only doing something good for your skin. You are also making an immensely important contribution to the renaturation of a wonderful and important natural area. Perhaps you would like to visit the Pietzmoor and see the progress for yourself. And remember - if you get your feet wet, it's a good sign! 

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