Sfagnum reintroduction experiment

Laflora supported LIFE + project "Wetlands” with donor material – Sphagnum moss from Drabiņi Mire. Sphagnum was planted for the restoration of part of degraded mire.

Laflora supported LIFE + project “Wetlands” with donor material for the restoration of part of degraded mire. This was one of the first experiments with Sphagnum moss reintroduction in Latvia. At the end of October, 2017, Sphagnum moss material was gathered from the new peat extraction areas in Drabiņi Mire (owned by SIA Laflora) in Kalnciems region, and transported to Sudas-Zviedru Mire in the territory of Gauja National Park, where it was planted in the degraded part of the raised bog near drainage ditches.

Dr.biol. Māra Pakalne, manager of Project “Conservation and management of Priority wetland habitats in Latvia” acknowledges that this experiment provides experience of Sphagnum reintroduction in raised bogs, and it will be deployable in reclamation of post-harvested peatlands: “I thank SIA Laflora and Uldis Ameriks personally for the help and cooperation during the implementation of EC LIFE project “Wetlands”, within the project action which includes reintroduction of Sphagnum moss from the donor territory in Drabiņu Mire to Sudas-Zviedru Mire in Gauja National Park. The gathered Sphagnum mosses, with the participation of the project team, as well as experts from the EC LIFE REstore project and representatives from Līgatne municipality, were replanted in the degraded part of the Sudas-Zviedru Mire in the Gauja National Park.”

Uldis Ameriks, Chairman of the Board of Laflora, highlights that this is the most effective way – cooperation between peat extraction companies and scientists, obtaining the donor material and jointly conducting experiments which help the entrepreneur in the long run to understand and find the best, economically and socially responsible after-use scenario of post-harvested peatlands.

SIA “Laflora” also plans to preserve 5-10 ha of the new peat extraction territories as a donor territory for the acquisition of reintroduction material.

The results can be used in the company's after-use plan

In Kaigu Mire, various after-use measures are already implemented, however, in 10-15 years, the acquisition and planting of donor material could be an effective method. In approximately 20-25% of the harvested peatland area, it is planned to restore the mire characteristic environment – to implement the renaturalization, taking into account that this after-use type does not cause undesirable side effects on the environment. These peatlands will be located close to the natural bog, ensuring that mire vegetation would introduce and stabilize as successfully as possible.

In a couple of weeks, it will be possible to understand whether the planted Sphagnum mosses will successfully establish in the managed territory of Sudas-Zviedru Mire. If this experiment fails now, because the weather this year is not favorable and the first frost was already on the day of planting, then the planted area will be again restored in spring.

Wetlands and their role. Wetlands are places that are flooded by water, either permanently or seasonally. Mires, lakes and rivers are permanently wet places. Wetlands play an important role in various processes important to the existence of nature and humanity; life on earth is unthinkable without wetlands. The world is paying increasing attention to the conservation and restoration of natural wetlands.

The aim of the project. The aim of LIFE + project “Wetlands” is to implement measures of the protection and restoration of wetlands in order to ensure the conservation and protection of habitats that are important in Latvia and un the European Union. One of the project tasks is to manage the protected mire habitats in the project areas, to ensure constantly wet conditions in the raised bogs and to restore the initial vegetation, as well as to carry out long-term monitoring of mire vegetation changes.

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