Life to ad(d)mire - Life to ad(d)mire Restoring drained and overgrowing wetlands LIFE08 NAT/S/000268

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1 Life to ad(d)mire - Life to ad(d)mire Restoring drained and overgrowing wetlands LIFE08 NAT/S/ Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data Read more Contact details: Contact person: Lisa TENNING Tel: Lisa.Tenning@lansstyrelsen.se Project description: Background Wetlands have an important role to play in preserving biodiversity. Many plants and animals depend on wetland biotopes, and nearly 15% of Sweden s threatened species live in peatlands or on freshwater margins. Hydrological changes and plant invasion adversely affect wetland animals and plants. Forest succession on drained mires is a major problem for several bird species and for the plants displaced. Nutrients from neighbouring forestry or agricultural activities also contributes to vegetation change. Some wetlands have historically been used as meadows, but agricultural modernisation has made this use unprofitable and such sites are often abandoned. Several species live in these sites, but their populations are decreasing or becoming extinct because of overgrowth and new management practices. Southern Sweden in particular has seen a significant loss of wetlands (e.g. approximately 90% in the Skåne region). Sweden nevertheless remains one of the most wetland-rich countries in the world. Objectives The Life to ad(d)mire project aimed to halt the decrease of targeted wetland habitats and species at Natura 2000 network sites in Sweden, through hydrological restoration and vegetation measures. A long-term objective was that the hydrologically-restored active bogs will revert to being carbon sinks, and therefore stop the current loss of CO2 (due to drained peatland) into the

2 atmosphere. The project area encompassed ha on 35 Natura 2000 sites, with project actions directly targeting ha. This area included the priority habitats active raised bogs and Aapa mires. The project also targeted substantial parts of the habitats degraded raised bogs and alkaline fens in Sweden. Results The Life to ad(d)mire project contributed to improving the conservation of 35 Natura 2000 network sites in Sweden, through hydrological measures and vegetation management. A total of ha of mires were hydrologically restored at 28 sites by digging with excavators, building or repairing dams, and filling in ditches. The project managed vegetation on ha at 31 sites, mainly removing scrubs and trees to improve conditions for breeding birds and other wetland species. It also removed overgrowth to access ditches, removed invading shrubs and trees, dredged two overgrown lakes used by birds to remove aquatic vegetation, and reinstated mowing on 18 ha. The removal of trees also reduces water loss by evapotranspiration. By raising the water table and removing overgrowth, especially invading birch and pine trees growing on the mire as a result of unfavourable mire conditions due to poor hydrology from ditches, the target habitats were again made suitable for species that depend on wetlands for their survival. Through its direct conservation actions, the project improved the quality of 11 habitats of EU importance and had a positive effect on the hydrological situation on over ha of peatlands, favouring 6 species listed in the annexes of the Habitats Directive and 19 species listed in the Birds Directive. Key project deliverables were raising awareness, distributing information, and networking with landowners and local people affected by the restoration work. The project built 5 observation towers with information points, created a total of m of hiking paths (with footbridges) at 12 sites, erected noticeboards at 8 sites, and produced a mire information book, information folders, and a website. The project was very active in promoting its restoration methods in the EU and internationally, for example, at conferences and seminars, and also in promoting the importance of peatlands in the mitigation of climate change. The project restored mires and wetlands in 35 Natura 2000 network sites, primarily in areas that had been converted for agricultural use (e.g. hay making) and since abandoned. Due to the drainage ditches, the hydrology had become unfavourable. By filling ditches, clearing vegetation and taking other measures to raise the water table, the project reversed the loss of ecosystem services provided by these sites. The most significant of the ecosystem services provided by peatlands in global terms is climate regulation. As a long term carbon store, peatlands are hugely important in climate change mitigation as they remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in peat under waterlogged conditions. Drained peatlands are a significant source of carbon emissions. Restoring drained peatlands by rewetting has been demonstrated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and this is now an accepted climate mitigation activity under international climate change agreements. Ecosystem services that are important on a more local scale include

3 water retention and water quality and flow regulation. By restoring these ecosystem services, the project has a significant social and economic impact. Through its actions to restore habitats, the project contributed directly to the implementation of the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. It also indirectly contributed by disseminating information about mires restoration methods. In addition to the nature directives, the project is relevant to climate action policy at the EU level. The project demonstrated peatland restoration in a safe, economic and successful way. It attracted national and international attention, from stakeholders wanting to know more about the project s approach. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section). Environmental issues addressed: Themes Habitats - Bogs and Mires Keywords protected area wetlands ecosystem restoration measure Target EU Legislation Nature protection and Biodiversity Directive 79/409 - Conservation of wild birds ( ) Directive 92/43 - Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora- Habitats Directiv... Target species Asio flammeus Chlidonias niger Circus cyaneus Cygnus cygnus Gallinago media Gavia stellata Grus grus Hamatocaulis vernicosus Limosa lapponica Meesia longiseta Phalaropus lobatus Philomachus pugnax Pluvialis apricaria Podiceps auritus Ranunculus lapponicus Saxifraga hirculus Tetrao tetrix tetrix Tringa glareola Vertigo genesii Vertigo geyeri Target Habitat types Active raised bogs

4 Degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration Transition mires and quaking bogs Alkaline fens Aapa mires Western Taïga Fennoscandian deciduous swamp woods 91D0 - Bog woodland "Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (Molinion caeruleae)" Oligotrophic to mesotrophic standing waters with vegetation of the Littorelletea uniflorae and/or of the Isoëto-Nanojuncetea Hard oligo-mesotrophic waters with benthic vegetation of Chara spp. Natura 2000 sites SCI SE Rocks mosse SCI SE Fjällmossen östgötadelen SCI SE Kärnskogsmossen SCI SE Store mosse nationalpark SCI SE Komosse SCI SE Anderstorp, Store mosse SCI SE Taglamyren SCI SE Årshultsmyren SCI SE Flymossen SCI SE Tängsjö fly SCI SE Åraslövs mosse SCI SE Söderåsen SCI SE Lya ljunghed och Älemossen SCI SE Djurholmamossen SCI SE Dagstorps mosse SCI SE Traneröds mosse SCI SE Fjällmossen SCI SE Koppången SCI SE Blåbergsåsflyten SCI SE Haftahedarna SCI SE Prästflon SCI SE Gideåbergsmyrarna SCI SE Sör-Lappmyran SCI SE Mossaträsk SCI SE Stensjöflon SCI SE Öjsjömyrarna SCI SE Brötarna SCI SE Ånnsjön SCI SE Trolleflod SCI SE Bredsjömossen SCI SE Bibergskärren SCI SE Horsnäsamossen SCI SE Tysjöarna SCI SE Stensundet

5 SCI SE Häckeberga-Skoggård Beneficiaries: Coordinator Type of organisation Description Partners Länsstyrelsen Jämtlands Län Regional authority The county administrative board of Jämtland is a regional authority whose responsibilities include nature conservation, environmental issues, hunting and fishing, the cultural environment, social services, animal welfare and trade and industry. Using its wide-reaching areas of responsibilities, the regional body is able to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences of nature conservation, and can help disseminate successful results within the authority. County administrative board of Dalarna, Sweden County administrative board of Östergötland, Sweden County administrative board of Jönköping, Sweden County administrative board of Kronoberg, Sweden County administrative board of Västernorrland, Sweden County administrative board of Skåne, Sweden Administrative data: Project reference LIFE08 NAT/S/ Duration 01-JAN-2010 to 31-DEC Total budget 6,813, EU contribution 3,406, Östra Mellansverige(Sverige) Småland med Öarna(Sverige) Sydsverige(Sverige) Project location Västsverige(Sverige) Norra Mellansverige(Sverige) Mellersta Norrland(Sverige)

6 Read more: Brochure Title: "Restaurering av en värdefull naturtyp MYREN: Erfarenheter fran projektet Life to ad(d)mire" (10.4 MB) Author: Johan Rova, Kristofer Paulsson Year: 2015 Editor: Länsstyrelserna No of pages: 31 Brochure Title: "Life to ad(d)mire: Restoration of wetlands and mires in seven counties" (2.90 MB) Author: Lisa Tenning Year: 2015 Editor: The County Administrative Board of Jämtland No of pages: 28 Leaflet Title: "Rewetting drained forest in Southern Sweden. IN : Towards climate-responsible peatlands management: Mitigation of climate change in agriculture series" (995 KB) Author: Asa Kasimir Klemedtsson, Johan Rova Year: 2014 Editor: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Na No of pages: 2 Project web site Project's website Publication: After-LIFE Title: After-LIFE Conservation Plan No of Conservation Plan pages: 28 Publication: Layman report Title: Layman report (Swedish version) Author: Lisa Tenning Year: 2015 Editor: The County Administrative Board of Jämtland No of pages: 28 Publication: Layman report Title: Layman report Year: 2015 Editor: The County Administrative Board of Jämtland No of pages: 28 Publication: Technical report Title: Project's Final technical report Year: 2016 Editor: County Administrative Board of Jämtland No of pages: 64 Slides Presentation Title: "Life to ad(d)mire: Restoration of mires and wetlands in Sweden: FINAL SEMINAR November " (9.28 MB) Author: Lisa Tenning Year: 2015 Editor: LIFE to ad(d)mire No of pages: 36 Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data Read more