A new study in Nature maps European wetlands at 10-meter resolution and finds they are highly fragmented, with 27-33% of wetland area in patches smaller than 25 hectares. Human activities affect about 20% of wetland area, and up to 5 gigatons of CO2-equivalent soil carbon may have been lost compared to undisturbed conditions. The research provides a baseline for the EU Nature Restoration Law, which requires restoring 30% of degraded wetland ecosystems by 2030. The study covers 38 European countries and identifies that several countries lack quantified restoration commitments despite having substantial candidate areas. The high-resolution maps can help track progress toward restoration targets. Wetlands store disproportionate amounts of carbon relative to their area, making their protection and restoration important for climate goals.
