The citation is: Sirin, A.; Medvedeva, M.; Korotkov, V.; Itkin, V.; Minayeva, T.; Ilyasov, D.; Suvorov, G.; Joosten, H. Addressing Peatland Rewetting in Russian Federation Climate […]

A video about the project “Restoring Peatlands in Russia” will be shown at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention […]

An exciting initiative will take place at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP26) – the Peatland Pavilion. This project was initiated by […]

President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented the German Environmental Award to the leading expert of the Restoring Peatlands in Russia Project

The Conference on “Sustanable Development of Tourism: today and tomorrow” took place in the framework of the Russian-German Cross-Year of the Economy and Sustainable Development […]

Leading expert of the Restoring Peatlands in Russia Project, co-founder of the Greifswald Mire Centre won this year's German Environmental Award established by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU)

Organized by the Project on ‘Restoring Peatlands in Russia – for fire prevention and climate change mitigation’ and the Project on ‘Enhancing ecosystem services through […]

The Project’s restoration site is located in the southwestern part of the Radovitsky Mokh peatland at the border with Ryazan Oblast, and covers 1,600 hectares. […]

Workshop on Integrating information on peatland management into climate reporting was held in the Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology in Moscow on […]

Авторы обобщили уникальный практический опыт Гринпис России, а также расширили теоретическую часть, благодаря участию Франка Эдома, гидролога болот из Германии, который является одним из последователей […]

The goal of this project is to demonstrate the potential for peatland management and restoration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate climate […]

An experimental plot for demonstrating low-carbon wet agriculture opportunities was established on the territory of the Russian State Agrarian University –K.A. Timiryazev Agricultural Academy in Moscow in 2018–2019.

Panov, V.V., E.E. Kukushkina, Yu.N. Zhenikhov, and K.L. Shakhmatov. Cultivation and use of reed biomass on cutover peatlands (experimental research materials). 2016. Tver: Triada Publishers. 160 pp. [In Russian, English summary]

One of the key tasks of the ‘Restoring Peatlands in Russia’ Project is to compile an inventory of peatlands

On March 5, 2019 a Round Table Conference on "Climate-Smart Agriculture in Wetlands and Peatlands: Prospects for Russia" was held at the Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.

This site is located in the buffer zone of Meshchera National Park, 1 km south from the village of Bolshiye Ostrova. The site constitutes the […]

The Gorodnoye site covering 910 ha is located in the Pra River valley, the Spassk District of the Ryazan Oblast. Since 1990, this site has been part of the Oksky State Biosphere Reserve.

The Bolshoye Ursovo peatland is situated in the interface area between the Klyazma and Nerl river catchments in the Kameshkovo District of the Vladimir Province, […]

The international conference on “Sustainable development of the peat industry in Russia: problems and prospects” was held at the Tver State Technical University from 17 to 19 September 2018, with support from the Restoring Peatlands in Russia Project.

The short film about the Project "Restoring Peatlands in Russia" was produced by the UN Climate change secretariat

On June 4, 2018, Nikolay Kosov, Chairman of the International Investment Bank Board, presented a certificate for 40,000 euros to our colleagues in Russia during […]

The workshop was organized by Michael Succow Foundation (Germany) and supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Kaliningrad Province, the Vishtynetsky […]

A joint action plan on the implementation of Project “Restoring peatlands in Russia – for fire prevention and climate change mitigation” in the Kaliningrad Province […]

Workshop on Paludiculture at Drained Peatlands after Restoration of Water Regime was held on the 28th of March 2018 at the Ugra National Park’s visitor […]

The MoU relating to cooperation on wetland conservation and wise use in Russia was signed by Wetlands International CEO Jane Madgwick and Russian Minister of Environment Sergey Donskoy.

This leaflet contains some basic information about the project on Restoring Peatlands in Russia

So, you know a Wetland Champion who has shown outstanding leadership in wetland science, conservation or awareness raising? And you’d like to nominate them for […]

Wetlands International aims to promote the conservation and restoration of wetlands worldwide. As part of this, we award the Wetlands International Luc Hoffmann Medal for […]

Russia is the world's largest country, covering 17 million km2. For the most part, this huge territory is presented by flat lowlands and has a humid climate. As a result, the country possesses vast areas of wetlands, including peatlands of various types.

Fulfillment of sociological and expert studies as early as at initial implementation stages of rewetting projects on drained peatlands facilitates a successful completion of all […]

The development and implementation of peatland rewetting projects on various categories of land has identified some problems that are regulated by neither federal nor local […]

As international experience suggests, the rewetting of degraded peatlands can stimulate sustainable regional development and offer local communities new economic prospects for the future.

How does the ecological restoration differ from the traditional revegetation and the so-called rewetting activities for fire prevention or recultivation?

Peat bog at Galitsky Mokh in the Tver Province exemplifies an area with ecological peatland restoration after years of neglect and degradation.

The Meschera Wetland Centre and a walking trail were established in the National Park in 2013. This educational centre became a member of the Wetland Link International network of wetland centers.

The Craneland education center on peatland conservation and restoration, incorporating a visitor centre (the Peatland Museum) and surrounding demonstration sites, nature trails and other facilities, was established in Moscow region

This film produced by Manfred van Eijk, Viverrafilms, deals with the environmental and social issues related to the drainage of peatlands in Central Russia

A 1170-ha section of the Severny peat mining site, also known as the Bublik Site, drained for agricultural use and peat extraction is located in the center of the Dubna forested peatland complex in the southern Upper Volga Lowland. The site borders the Craneland Zakaznik. The project was implemented in winter 2013–2014. Water retaining dams of several constructive types were built and stabilized with boards and willow plantations. The rewetted site has been used as a pilot for experimental research into carbon balance and for monitoring vegetation and wildlife status in the Dubna peatland area.

The 116 km² Losiny Ostrov National Park is the first national park of Russia established in 1983. It is located in Moscow and its outskirts, in the north-eastern edge of the city. Under the Restoring Peatlands in Russia Project, a pilot site for ecological rewetting will be established in this area.

The Mokhovoye-2 peatland is a raised bog located in the Konakovo district of the Tver Province, covering an area of 2318 ha to zero peat depth. Large-scale industrial development of the peatland took place from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s. The rewetting project for the 1500-ha site was developed by the group of experts of the Peat Institute at the Tver State Technical University in 2013. The implementation of the project should promote restoration of the water regime of the peatland and the adjacent waterlogged area covering a total area of 2450 ha.

The Meschera National Park comprises unique peatland massifs covering over 23,000 ha. Some 8,000 ha of these are intact natural peatlands. Large peatland areas were affected by drainage, agriculture, peat extraction, and fires. Commercial peat production in what is now the national park began in early years of the 20th century. By the time the park was established, about 60% of the peatlands (some 15,000 ha) were drained. Currently, 5727 ha of the disturbed peatland complexes have been restored. A 500-ha section of the Orlovskoye-Kurlovskoye peat mining site was chosen for the implementation of a pilot rewetting project.

The Ozeretskoye-Neplyuevskoye peatland is located on the national forest lands in the Konakovo District of the Tver Province. The pilot site covers 900 ha. Rewetting of this site will affect 2,450 ha of adjacent peatland areas providing favourable conditions for the restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as the regulation of water regime, reduction of GHG emissions and carbon sequestration.

The Orshinsky Mokh peatland is situated in the Kalinin District of the Tver Province. Peat was extracted by means of hydraulic harvesting that gave way to milling in the 1950s and 1960s. The rewetting project was developed in 2014 by experts from the Peat Institute of the Tver State Technical University. In 2016, a rewetting design for the third 1,000 ha site was developed by the Tver project team. The ultimate goal of rewetting is restoration of original peatland ecosystems. A complete restoration may take 5 to 20 years depending on the site's location.

The Lodkinsky Mokh peatland is part of a large peatland system located at the second fluvial terrace above the Volga floodplain. The petland was exploited from 1929 to 2004. The pilot site proposed for rewetting covers 1,000 ha. Rewetting activities are planned to be implemented at the site in 2017

This document contains the main results of the project “Restoring Peatlands in Russia – for fire prevention and climate change mitigation” during 2012-2016

A Draft Strategy for Wetland Conservation in the Russian Federation of was developed jointly by the Federal Committee on Environmental Protection and the Wetlands International-Russia Programme […]

This document was developed by a group of experts with support from the Wetlands International Russia Programme in accordance with a decision taken at the […]

Although most peatlands have remained intact, several million hectares of peatlands have been drained and used for peat extraction, agriculture, and forestry. The peatland area used for peat mining is especially great in the Moscow Province.

This booklet contains basic information on the 35 wetland sites designated by the Government of the Russian Federation for the List of Wetlands of International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971).

The 100 participants came from 15 federal subjects of Russia and 6 foreign countries. They got an insight into peatland management, conservation, and restoration in Russia and worldwide.

There are currently no vacancies available.

Wetlands International–Russia Programme

Project “Restoring Peatlands in Russia – for fire prevention and climate change mitigation” is financed under the International Climate Initiative (ICI)

The Project “Restoring Peatlands in Russia – for fire prevention and climate change mitigation” is implemented by Wetlands International in partnership with the Institute of Forest […]

Wetlands International and its predecessors have worked to protect wetlands since 1937.

The rate of loss and deterioration of wetlands such as lakes, marshes and rivers is accelerating in all regions of the world. We are deeply concerned about the impact of this loss on nature, on people who rely on wetlands for their water, fish and other sustenance, on resilience to extreme weather events, and addressing the challenge of climate change.

Wetlands cover a small percentage of the earth's surface, yet they are essential systems - they are the arteries and veins of the landscape. A world without wetlands would be a world without water, waterbirds and people. Read more...

The project "Restoring peatlands in Russia – for fire prevention and climate change mitigation" includes activities towards promotion of sustainable peatland use, sharing information on paludiculture methods among the local landusers, studies into paludiculture development prospects in Russia, implementation of demonstration projects on growing peat moss and reeds on rewetted peatlands.

The major problems that have been addressed by this component of the Project are the low level of public awareness of peatland values and modern approaches to sustainable use of peatlands, lack of interest of most people as far as peatland conservation is concerned, and low capacity of organisations working in the field of peatland education.

Restoration of human-disturbed natural ecosystems has long been recognized by the world community as a most important activity towards sustainable development. Following the fires of 2002 and 2010 in many areas of Russia, people are generally willing to cooperate in restoration of peatland hydrology as a fire protection measure.

The project aims to contribute to the restoration and sustainable management of degraded peatlands in order to reduce fire incidents and GHG emissions from drainage in European Russian peatlands.

Wetlands occur where water meets land. They include mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, and even coral reefs. Wetlands exist in every country and in every climatic zone, from the polar regions to the tropics, and from high altitudes to dry regions. Read more...

The training workshop aimed to enhance local training capacities with regard to conservation and sustainable use of migratory waterbirds and their key wetland sites was […]

The workshop was organized by the Wetlands International–Russia Programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation under the […]