Peatlands and climate planning

Abstract

Peatlands contain huge carbon stocks yet they cover only 3 percent of the world’s land area. Improved peatland management provides climate change mitigation and adaptation opportunities. Peatland conservation and restoration also secures ecosystem services that support adaptive capacity and resilience. This brief is part of the Global Peatlands Initiative’s work to support national governments in the process of enhancing their climate commitments, such as the nationally determined contributions as well as the long-term strategies through the inclusion of climate action on peatlands. Including peatlands under various sectors’ emission reduction and adaptation targets, such as in the agriculture, forestry and other land use sector, the energy sector, can greatly contribute to reaching the goals set under the Paris Agreement. This is the first of a package of products to inform key stakeholders on practical and applicable means. The authors aim to motivate national agencies to include peatland considerations into national legislative, regulatory, planning and monitoring processes to ensure climate action implementation on these ecosystems.