Europe is stepping up wetland restoration as a climate tool. Drained peatlands and marshes release carbon that has been locked in waterlogged soils for thousands of years. Two EU-funded projects, ALFAwetlands and REWET, are mapping where restoration can cut emissions and testing how to pay for it. The new European Wetland Map covers ten countries and has already been downloaded more than 27,000 times. Researchers reviewed over 700 restoration projects and are testing approaches at seven demonstration sites. They are also looking at carbon credits, payments for ecosystem services, recreation, and paludiculture, such as growing sphagnum moss as a peat-free growing medium, to replace public subsidies. Around 2 million hectares of drained European wetlands could potentially support paludiculture, which could cut emissions from those soils by about 19 percent if markets develop. The bigger challenge is making restoration economically viable for landowners and attracting private capital through blended finance. The science is getting clearer, but long-term monitoring and fair compensation will decide whether these projects scale.
