During previous European Union (EU) planning periods, Latvian companies and scientific institutes have succeeded in implementing significant projects with the support of Cohesion policy, helping to move closer to EU goals for smarter and more environmentally friendly business. Among the positive examples is the responsible management of degraded peatlands, research into which began five years ago and continues into the new planning period, opening up ever-new opportunities for entrepreneurs in Latvia and other countries.
Latvia has approximately 20 thousand hectares of peat fields, and the extraction of this organic sediment plays a significant role in the national economy. According to calculations by the International Trade Center, in 2020 Latvia was ranked first in the world for the volume of exported peat, selling 1.97 million tonnes. The closest follower, Germany, supplied 1.5 million to the global market, Canada 1.42 million, Estonia 1.32 million, the Netherlands 1.24 million, and Ireland 0.93 million tonnes of peat. Latvia's share of the global peat market in 2020 was 14.7%, which makes us a very significant player.
In 2015, the Latvian State Forest Research Institute 'Silava' began a study on how to most effectively carry out the recultivation of peat deposits. During the course of the work, knowledge was expanded regarding what happens to peat fields during and after extraction. At the same time, questions were identified for which there were not yet any answers. Firstly, what happens with emissions from ditches? Secondly, how does wind erosion affect peat while the fields are not yet covered with greenery? Thirdly, how much carbon flows away from carbon fields along with water? And fourthly, what happens if peat fields are flooded?
Photo: Leo Tomass