Wetland Restoration and Protection Fund starts restoration of the abandoned Paąžuolynės peat quarry

2024 m. Member of the Association, the Wetlands Restoration and Protection Foundation initiated the restoration of the peat quarry of Paąžuolynė (Jonava district), which was exploited during the Soviet era and later abandoned.The restoration of the peatland (LTJOA0003), which was established in Jonava, Jonava, Jonava and Jonava in the early 1990s, is already underway: permits are being coordinated with the responsible authorities, natural surveys of the vegetation cover are being carried out, GHG emissions from the damaged peatland are being assessed by the GEST method, and the “Action plan for the protection of the habitat of the important site Paąžuolynės Peatland (LTJOA0003)” is being developed (75 ha of the peatland).

Why is it important to restore drained peatlands?

Since the 19th century. As much as 2/3 of Lithuania’s wetlands have been drained since the end of the 19th century, which is much higher than the European average. Almost half of these drained peatlands are used for reforestation, 40% for agriculture and 4% for peat extraction. When a peatland is drained, the peat, which has been stored for millennia, begins to decompose and releases greenhouse gases (GHGs) – mainly_CO2. Only by restoring the hydrological regime of a viable wetland can we hope to reduce or even stop the emissions of GHGs that contribute to climate change, and to turn the restored wetland into an organic carbon sink.

Why is it important to restore the Paažuolynės Wetland?

XX a. In the 20th century, the drained Paąžuolynė marsh was used for the peat industry. After the end of industrial peat extraction, the peat quarry has been abandoned for several decades. y. left to its fate: the drainage ditches that steal the peat bog every 20 metres have not been blocked or otherwise dammed, so most of the water that is vital for the bog’s recovery flows unhindered down the Geležė River, which starts here. In some places the drainage ditches have been dammed by beavers or, in favourable circumstances, some of them have settled naturally, so that now some of the former dry peat wastelands are gradually becoming 7120 Degraded raised bogs with fragments of 7150 Bare peat heath, and the areas not drained by ditches have already been restored to the habitats of the 91D0 Swamp forests. All of these habitats are protected both nationally and at European Community level. The rest of the moorland is either heathland or dry peat is still being blown by the wind.

Paąžuolynės peat bog currently has NATURA 2000 and botanical-zoological reserve protection status. Grey Cranes(Grus grus) flock in the open areas of the peatland, Common Terns(Tetrastes bonasia) are found in the wooded edges,Triturus cristatus,Leucorrhinia pectoralis, and Red-bellied Sapsuckers(Bombina bombinata) mate in the ditches and shallow puddles. The marsh also supports the Bombina Bombina, which will be introduced by 2020. The marsh is home to the rare charismatic hen harrier(Huperzia selago), which is on the protected species list by 2020. With the restoration of favourable natural conditions for these and other species, we can expect a faster recovery of wetland habitats and a significant improvement in the status of populations of wetland species.

The project will halt peat decomposition, reduce not only GHG emissions, but also nutrient inputs (especially nitrogen compounds) into water bodies (and hence eutrophication) and the risk of peatland fires, and promote the recovery of wetland habitats with their inherent biodiversity.

The Wetland Restoration and Protection Foundation invites companies, organisations and individuals to contribute to the restoration of Paąžuolynė Wetland by donating funds directly(https://www.pelkiufondas.lt/prisidek; please write – for the restoration of Paąžuolynė Wetland), or by joining the upcoming autumn clean-ups at the wetland itself (we will inform you about the clean-ups later).

For more information, email. e-mail: info@pelkiufondas.lt, tel. +370 656 20 426, in the e-publication “Restoring Wetlands, Protecting Climate and Biodiversity” here.