The European Parliament voted on Wednesday, July 12, a revised version of a text that promises to restore ecosystems. This bill also includes the restoration of peatlands, ecosystems that are carbon reservoirs.
In the heart of Sologne, in Neuvy-sur-Barangeon (Cher), precious and fragile, there is a wetland, the Tourbière de la Guette. Over a little over 1 km long, a cluster of waterlogged plants. “Peat is badly decomposed matter. This organic matter accumulates and on top of it we have a moss which allows carbon to be stored in the soil”, explains Amandine Demennence, manager and nature animator, in charge of managing the Guette peat bog. In 7,000 years, the organic matter that has accumulated here has stored 18,000 tons of carbon.
Recreate meanders to better retain water
But like most of the 100,000 hectares of peat bog in France, this one is damaged. A road has come to cut it in two and these ditches are a problem. “The departmental services have created ditches for road maintenance, and this ditch today is a bit draining compared to the bog. We have a sharp drop in the water level”, reports Amandine Demennence. Result: by withdrawing water from the bog, its ecosystem is disturbed. Instead of storing carbon, it began to emit it.
So for the past fifteen years, researchers have multiplied experiments to restore this peat bog, by recreating meanders for example, to better retain water. This is still insufficient, the Tourbière de la Guette emits 20 tons of CO2 per hectare and per year. Today, peatlands represent only 3% of the land in the world, but contain 3% of the carbon stored in the soil.
2023-07-12 19:30:27
#Cher #tedious #work #restoring #Tourbière #Guette
