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  • randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary
66
Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary Information was obtained from Non-EU temperate/boreal countries using a questionnaire and an internet/literature search. The aim was to identify existing policies and guidelines, determine their effectiveness, and assess their applicability and transferability to the UK. Summary tabulations of the country questionnaire responses are also provided. 1 EUROPEAN PEAT – OVERVIEW (Source: http://www.peatlandsni.gov.uk/formation/euro.htm) European peatlands cover an area of approximately 515,000km 2 . The most extensive areas are found in northern Europe, particularly in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. Remoteness and an often inhospitable climate have allowed many of the peatlands in Sweden, Norway and Russia to remain intact, but the situation in other parts of Europe has not been so favourable. The cool wet climate of Western Europe provides ideal conditions for the formation of peat. For example, peatlands once covered around 17% of the Republic of Ireland and 13% of Northern Ireland. During the last century there has been a dramatic decline in peatland cover in all the countries of Western Europe. In the United Kingdom and Ireland over 90% of raised bogs have been lost. Blanket bogs have also declined, with reductions of 79% in the Republic of Ireland and 85% in Northern Ireland. Recent studies from Scotland, which had extensive blanket peat resources, indicate a reduction in cover of 21% between 1940 and 1980. The peatlands of Central Europe, whilst not as extensive as those in the north and west, have also been adversely affected during the last century. It is estimated that only 1% of the original peatland in Denmark is intact. Germany and the Netherlands have experienced similar rates of peatland decline as a large proportion of their fens and raised bogs have been drained to provide land for agriculture. In Eastern Europe there are substantial peatland resources that are now threatened by peat mining companies. For example, over 25% of Estonia’s peatlands have been drained for peat production in recent years. When more detailed information becomes available, it is likely that significant losses will also be recorded in other Eastern European countries. The evidence from Europe clearly shows that an abundance of peatlands does not ensure their long-term survival. At 50% of former peatland sites, peat no longer accumulates, and 20% of the original area of European peatland no longer exists. Only six countries - Russia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden and the Ukraine - have more than 50% of their original peatland resources remaining. 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES A number of non-EU European countries were contacted, and information concerning other countries was obtained from internet or other literature sources. Substantial use was made of an IMCG document (in preparation) entitled “Peatland Policies in European Countries”. 2.1 Albania The information in this section is sourced from “Peatland Policies in European Countries”, IMCG, in preparation). Laws and regulations concerning environmental issues have been in existence in Albania since 1967, but major development of the legislative framework post-dates the democratic changes in 1991. Relevant laws include the Laws on Albanian Agricultural Land Distribution, the Compensation Law, the Law on Environmental Protection, the Law on Physical Planning, the Law on Forest and Forestry Management, the Law on Pasture Land, the Law on Wildlife

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Page 1: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 1 of 66

APPENDIX A4 Non-EU temperateboreal countries Questionnaire summary and country summary

Information was obtained from Non-EU temperateboreal countries using a questionnaire and an internetliterature search The aim was to identify existing policies and guidelines determine their effectiveness and assess their applicability and transferability to the UK Summary tabulations of the country questionnaire responses are also provided

1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW (Source httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm)

European peatlands cover an area of approximately 515000km2 The most extensive areas are found in northern Europe particularly in Finland Sweden Norway and Russia Remoteness and an often inhospitable climate have allowed many of the peatlands in Sweden Norway and Russia to remain intact but the situation in other parts of Europe has not been so favourable

The cool wet climate of Western Europe provides ideal conditions for the formation of peat For example peatlands once covered around 17 of the Republic of Ireland and 13 of Northern Ireland During the last century there has been a dramatic decline in peatland cover in all the countries of Western Europe In the United Kingdom and Ireland over 90 of raised bogs have been lost Blanket bogs have also declined with reductions of 79 in the Republic of Ireland and 85 in Northern Ireland Recent studies from Scotland which had extensive blanket peat resources indicate a reduction in cover of 21 between 1940 and 1980 The peatlands of Central Europe whilst not as extensive as those in the north and west have also been adversely affected during the last century It is estimated that only 1 of the original peatland in Denmark is intact Germany and the Netherlands have experienced similar rates of peatland decline as a large proportion of their fens and raised bogs have been drained to provide land for agriculture

In Eastern Europe there are substantial peatland resources that are now threatened by peat mining companies For example over 25 of Estoniarsquos peatlands have been drained for peat production in recent years When more detailed information becomes available it is likely that significant losses will also be recorded in other Eastern European countries

The evidence from Europe clearly shows that an abundance of peatlands does not ensure their long-term survival At 50 of former peatland sites peat no longer accumulates and 20 of the original area of European peatland no longer exists Only six countries - Russia Latvia Liechtenstein Norway Sweden and the Ukraine - have more than 50 of their original peatland resources remaining

2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES A number of non-EU European countries were contacted and information concerning other countries was obtained from internet or other literature sources Substantial use was made of an IMCG document (in preparation) entitled ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo

21 Albania

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Laws and regulations concerning environmental issues have been in existence in Albania since 1967 but major development of the legislative framework post-dates the democratic changes in 1991 Relevant laws include the Laws on Albanian Agricultural Land Distribution the Compensation Law the Law on Environmental Protection the Law on Physical Planning the Law on Forest and Forestry Management the Law on Pasture Land the Law on Wildlife

Page 2 of 66

and Hunting the Fishing Law the Law on Protection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and the Law on Priority Tourism Development Zones

In 1998 the Albanian National Environmental Agency (NEA) prepared a list of important wetland sites ldquoThe National Wetlands Reviewrdquo The Vaini mire is a Special Protection Area and an Important Bird Area The Karavasta National Park was designated as a Ramsar site in 1995 The Greek part of Lake Mikro Prespa is fully protected by the Greek National Park Prespa Recently the Albanian Government decided to protect their parts of the three lakes by creating a new National Park

Summary

There are no identified transferable policies or guidelines

22 Armenia

Armenia has policies relating to designated sites including wetlands

The Water Code adopted on 04062002 has as its objective the protection of national water resources including wetlands (and therefore peatlands)

The Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Article 27 of the law regulates the protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) and the risks of negative impacts on the wetlands through 1) valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of the influence of wetlands on the environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities and 5) development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

The policies are not thought to be adequate However a National Wetland Policy is under development (with funds from Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and is expected to be adopted by the government in 2009

There are no government guidelines regarding peat however guidelines were developed as part of a recent project (ldquoIdentification of Ecological and Economical Values and Threats of Armenias Peatlands a Framework for Conservation Restoration and Wise Userdquo 2003) and were included in brochures entitled ldquoHow to make a wetland Management Planrdquo and ldquoWetland Values and Functionsrdquo

Historically peat has not been greatly exploited although there has been some extraction (particularly for fuel during the war years) In the 1980s the total rate of peat extraction was around 100000m3 per year The peat was mostly used for agriculture and balneology (mud baths)

More recently the rate of extraction of peat for use as fuel has been around 50000m3yr mostly from larger sites (the smaller sites having been mostly worked out) (IMCG in preparation) The low value of agricultural products makes the extraction of peat for agriculture less profitable

There are no regulations regarding the economic use of peatlands and no specific mention of peat in legislation at all However this will change with the development of the National Wetlands Policy Paper due in 2009

There are threats to peat from wetland reclamation for arable land peat excavation lowering of regional water levels by irrigation drainage to reduce waterborne diseases and the construction of dams and reservoirs There is however an increased awareness of the value of peatlands

An Ecosystem Services approach has been undertaken in Albania This involves evaluating the financial value of the peatlands and the services they provide including

Direct services peat sand and gravel sedge hay grazing berries and herbs (for food and medicine) game animals pet animals pet food and recreational facilities

Page 3 of 66

Indirect services nutrient retention flood control groundwater recharge external ecosystem support micro-climatic stabilisation and shoreline stabilisation) and other values

Summary

The ecosystems services approach is of interest No clear policies or guidelines transferable to the UK have been identified

23 Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan there is no specific protection for mires or peatlands However Azerbaijan has ratified the Ramsar convention with two Ramsar sites being listed in 2001

24 Belarus

Mires and peatlands are covered by a system of laws on natural resources and environmental protection the basis of the legislation is the Constitution of Belarus (IMCG in preparation) There are polices regarding each of the following

bull Peatland and mire protection

bull Peat mining for fuel and agriculture (25 million tonnes per year for energy 28 million tonnes mined per year)

bull Use of drained peat soils in agriculture

bull Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands following peat winning

The aims of peatlandmire protection are (IMCG in preparation)

bull ldquoThe conservation of unique ecotopes for mire and wetland species of European

regional and local importance bull The conservation of mires for their functions in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide and

oxygen content water regime and climate on a regional scalerdquo The protection of mires is implemented in three ways (IMCG in preparation) 1 ldquoProtection of those mires and mire-landscapes that are already assigned as nature

conservation areas 2 The establishment of new conservation areas by reassigning sites from the Undivided

Peat Fund to the Nature Protection Fund 3 Restoration of peat-forming processes and recreation of new mires in anthropogenically

destroyed mires and peat depositsrdquo Previously drained areas can in some cases be transferred into ldquozapovedniksrdquo (nature reserves) or national parks after rewetting (IMCG in preparation)

The Republic of Belarus has joined the Convention on Biodiversity and the Ramsar Convention

Particular problems identified included fires on peatlands and the cost of extinguishing them and the slow rate of rehabilitation of peatlands after excavation The lack of a decision making process for determining how to use bogs following peat extraction limits the potential

Page 4 of 66

for regeneration of peatlands However there is the potential for restoration of a number of degraded peat areas

A significant UNDP project in Belarus (ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Belarus to Mitigate Climate Change Combat Land Degradation and Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversityrdquo 2005-2010) aims to develop integrated ecosystem management on degraded peatlands and to demonstrate the feasibility of generating multiple global benefits through such a management approach (see wwwmfagovbydocsbf_2007Belarus-Facts-2007_engpdf) Specific aims include the mitigation of climate change the prevention of land degradation the conservation of biodiversity and the prevention of radioactive pollution These aims will be met by rehabilitating degraded peatlands and by securing their long-term conservation and sustainable use There are 17 pilot sites The construction of water regulation facilities has commenced at three sites Miranka Dokudovskoie and Bortenikha

Summary

Protection of peatlands is implemented via existing nature conservation designations However new designations can be added to provide protection for more areas Restoration of degraded mires and peats is promoted This can lead to restored areas obtaining designated status The current UNDP project is likely to prove very interesting from an ecosystems services perspective

The gradual progression of rehabilitation and protection from degraded peat via restored peatlands to designated area could be applied in the UK as a means of obtaining greater protection for peat areas

25 Croatia

Croatia has limited peatlands These have been influenced by human intervention and are relatively fragmented There are policies relating to national designated sites and also to climate change A strategy for Nature Conservation was adopted by Croatia in 1999 but this has had little impact on peatlands There is a concern to protect peatland biodiversity with some species threatened Natura 2000 sites have been identified However a lack of finance is a key problem and the loss of peatland is continuing Additionally some fens contain land mines from the 1991 ndash 1995 war Three fens are protected as special botanical reserves however these are still suffering from loss of area and landowner disputes are limiting current actions

As part of the Nature Protection Act (Official Gazette 702005) a new category of regional park was added to the existing eight categories of protected area (national park nature park strict reserve special reserve forest park significant landscape nature monument and monument of park architecture) It is proposed that after the establishment of the ecological network protection mechanisms will be applied in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive Two pieces of secondary legislation hang off the Nature Protection Act regulations to establish a national ecological network and ordinance regarding the nature protection impact assessment (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007)

There is currently some work funded by the Slovenia ndash Croatia Operational Programme 2007-2013 ndash Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007) this funding is available for countries joining the EU The PHARE project 2006-2008 is involved in Establishing of the NATURA 2000 for the Republic of Croatia This was started through the LIFE-III project ldquoBuilding up the National Ecological Network as part of a Pan-European Ecological Network and Nature 2000 ndash CRONENrdquo There is also funding from government and local authorities

Summary

Page 5 of 66

There are limited peatlands in Croatia and those that remain are under threat Efforts are being made to prevent the colonisation of peatlands by vegetation such as Molinia caerulea and bushes There appear to be EU funds available for nature conservation projects in countries joining the EU

26 Georgia

In Georgia a number of wetlands have been established as nature reserves since 1935 (IMCG in preparation) There are a number of Ramsar sites and two national parks The wetlands of Central Kolkheti are designated as a Ramsar site nationally they are covered by The Law of Georgia on Establishment and Management of Kolkheti Protected Areas (1999)

The peat policies in Georgia were assessed as not adequate However the use of peat as a fuel or fertiliser is no longer significant

27 Moldova

Only 142 of the territory of Moldova is protected (which is low compared to other European countries) There are no national parks and only one Ramsar site There are no known policies or guidelines relating to peat

28 Russia

Russian Peatlands

Russian peatlands and marshes cover 550 thousand km2 The principal peat areas are located in the north-western parts of Russia in West Siberia near the western coast of Kamchatka and in several other far-eastern regions The Siberian peatlands account for nearly 75 of Russias total reserves of peat second only to Canadarsquos

Management and Protection of Peatlands in Russia

There are regional variations in the approach to peatlands and different sectors have developed different guidelines The Russian Peatlands Action Plan aims to bring together the various sectorial approaches

The National Strategy of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia (Russian Academy of Sciences Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation 2001) makes reference to peatlands Peatlands are valued as carbon sinks and as regenerators of oxygen A project was undertaken in 20012002 to implement international conventions for peatlands in Russia This included an official review of resolutions on peatlands

Mires are generally in better condition where they are extensive (northwest European Russia West Siberia) and more under pressure in the southern region of European Russia steppe Urals Central Chernozem and around large cities

Historically mires were preserved indirectly via a landscape approach as part of nature conservation planning (IMCG in preparation) The protection of certain mire types was facilitated through traditionally quite strict nature management regulations that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia and in the Soviet Union and which still exist today In the Eleventh Century Yaroslav the Wise the Grand Prince of Kiev enacted the protection of forests and habitats of game animals (often associated with mires) Peter I issued royal enactments to establish water protection zones along rivers and floodplain conservation (IMCG in preparation)

Since the 1960s the intensive utilization of natural resources associated with mire ecosystems and the general national support of the wise use ideology have prompted work to provide for the restoration of mire resources and the conservation of mire ecosystem diversity

Page 6 of 66

Since the 1970s all legal acts and programmes concerned with mire improvement have incorporated approaches for the wise use of peatland resources The Torfgeologia Industrial Geological Association which is in charge of exploration for peat resources assessed the conservation importance of peat deposits in European Russia Botanical studies were carried out by the mire science section of the Botanical Society and by the Telma Group By identifying mires for protection the State Forest Service pursued a pragmatic purpose to exclude low productivity plantations from the total felling area However it is precisely these plantations that make up the bulk of the modern network of protected mires

National legislation is improving controls over mire use as well as providing for the conservation of mires within specially protected areas Priorities in the field of mire conservation are gradually changing for the better although perhaps too slowly The legal base regarding mires has gradually been rationalised It previously contained contradictions and discrepancies reflecting the traditional sectoral approach to mires and their resources

Current legislation considers mires as water bodies and allows for the establishment of protective shoreline bands and water protection zones Forests that grow on mires are regulated by the forest legislation while peat extraction is regulated by legislation on the earthrsquos interior Many federal legal acts (on land nature conservation etc) also directly affect mires

In practice the protection of mires is sometimes impeded by discrepancies in the interpretation of legislation For example because of varying interpretations of water legislation certain types of mires are not regarded as water bodies In some areas of Western Siberia all watershed mires are considered water bodies while ldquosogrardquo mires (forest fens having high species diversity) are not ldquoSogrardquo mires therefore lack the protection provided by the water legislation There is hope however that these discrepancies will gradually be eliminated

Russia needs to develop an integrated approach to the conservation and wise use of mires with collaboration between the various sectors An important step in this direction was made through the adoption of the inter-sectoral framework document ldquoAction Plan for Peatland Conservation and Wise Use in Russiardquo This document was developed as part of the implementation of decisions of the Ramsar Convention at the national level regarding the wise use of peatlands (Resolution VIII17) To fulfill some of the major aims of the Action Plan a long-term project on peatland conservation has been launched within the framework of the Wetlands International ndash Russia Programme This project includes issues of national policy and legislation international cooperation support of mire conservation and wise use information exchange education (raising awareness) and model field projects (httpwwwpeatlandsru and IMCG in prep)

Peat Fires and the Rewetting of Peatlands

Since the early Nineteenth Century peatlands in Western Russia have been drained and used for agricultural purposes drained peatlands also occur in the far eastern parts of Russia Moscow is half-surrounded by swamps and deep bogs that were drained in the 1960s for agricultural use afforestation and the mining of peat as fuel for power plants (httpfindarticlescomparticlesmi_hb5073is_200301ai_n18451356)

During summer droughts drained peatlands become the environments for the most troublesome and suppression-resistive kind of wildfire deep-seated underground peat fires (Goldammer J G Sukhini A and Csiszar I 2003 The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003) In most cases fires start outside the peatlands and are caused by forest visitors hunters tourists or by agricultural burning and burning activities along roads The legislation is unclear and is not enforced

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 2: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 2 of 66

and Hunting the Fishing Law the Law on Protection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and the Law on Priority Tourism Development Zones

In 1998 the Albanian National Environmental Agency (NEA) prepared a list of important wetland sites ldquoThe National Wetlands Reviewrdquo The Vaini mire is a Special Protection Area and an Important Bird Area The Karavasta National Park was designated as a Ramsar site in 1995 The Greek part of Lake Mikro Prespa is fully protected by the Greek National Park Prespa Recently the Albanian Government decided to protect their parts of the three lakes by creating a new National Park

Summary

There are no identified transferable policies or guidelines

22 Armenia

Armenia has policies relating to designated sites including wetlands

The Water Code adopted on 04062002 has as its objective the protection of national water resources including wetlands (and therefore peatlands)

The Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Article 27 of the law regulates the protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) and the risks of negative impacts on the wetlands through 1) valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of the influence of wetlands on the environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities and 5) development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

The policies are not thought to be adequate However a National Wetland Policy is under development (with funds from Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and is expected to be adopted by the government in 2009

There are no government guidelines regarding peat however guidelines were developed as part of a recent project (ldquoIdentification of Ecological and Economical Values and Threats of Armenias Peatlands a Framework for Conservation Restoration and Wise Userdquo 2003) and were included in brochures entitled ldquoHow to make a wetland Management Planrdquo and ldquoWetland Values and Functionsrdquo

Historically peat has not been greatly exploited although there has been some extraction (particularly for fuel during the war years) In the 1980s the total rate of peat extraction was around 100000m3 per year The peat was mostly used for agriculture and balneology (mud baths)

More recently the rate of extraction of peat for use as fuel has been around 50000m3yr mostly from larger sites (the smaller sites having been mostly worked out) (IMCG in preparation) The low value of agricultural products makes the extraction of peat for agriculture less profitable

There are no regulations regarding the economic use of peatlands and no specific mention of peat in legislation at all However this will change with the development of the National Wetlands Policy Paper due in 2009

There are threats to peat from wetland reclamation for arable land peat excavation lowering of regional water levels by irrigation drainage to reduce waterborne diseases and the construction of dams and reservoirs There is however an increased awareness of the value of peatlands

An Ecosystem Services approach has been undertaken in Albania This involves evaluating the financial value of the peatlands and the services they provide including

Direct services peat sand and gravel sedge hay grazing berries and herbs (for food and medicine) game animals pet animals pet food and recreational facilities

Page 3 of 66

Indirect services nutrient retention flood control groundwater recharge external ecosystem support micro-climatic stabilisation and shoreline stabilisation) and other values

Summary

The ecosystems services approach is of interest No clear policies or guidelines transferable to the UK have been identified

23 Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan there is no specific protection for mires or peatlands However Azerbaijan has ratified the Ramsar convention with two Ramsar sites being listed in 2001

24 Belarus

Mires and peatlands are covered by a system of laws on natural resources and environmental protection the basis of the legislation is the Constitution of Belarus (IMCG in preparation) There are polices regarding each of the following

bull Peatland and mire protection

bull Peat mining for fuel and agriculture (25 million tonnes per year for energy 28 million tonnes mined per year)

bull Use of drained peat soils in agriculture

bull Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands following peat winning

The aims of peatlandmire protection are (IMCG in preparation)

bull ldquoThe conservation of unique ecotopes for mire and wetland species of European

regional and local importance bull The conservation of mires for their functions in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide and

oxygen content water regime and climate on a regional scalerdquo The protection of mires is implemented in three ways (IMCG in preparation) 1 ldquoProtection of those mires and mire-landscapes that are already assigned as nature

conservation areas 2 The establishment of new conservation areas by reassigning sites from the Undivided

Peat Fund to the Nature Protection Fund 3 Restoration of peat-forming processes and recreation of new mires in anthropogenically

destroyed mires and peat depositsrdquo Previously drained areas can in some cases be transferred into ldquozapovedniksrdquo (nature reserves) or national parks after rewetting (IMCG in preparation)

The Republic of Belarus has joined the Convention on Biodiversity and the Ramsar Convention

Particular problems identified included fires on peatlands and the cost of extinguishing them and the slow rate of rehabilitation of peatlands after excavation The lack of a decision making process for determining how to use bogs following peat extraction limits the potential

Page 4 of 66

for regeneration of peatlands However there is the potential for restoration of a number of degraded peat areas

A significant UNDP project in Belarus (ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Belarus to Mitigate Climate Change Combat Land Degradation and Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversityrdquo 2005-2010) aims to develop integrated ecosystem management on degraded peatlands and to demonstrate the feasibility of generating multiple global benefits through such a management approach (see wwwmfagovbydocsbf_2007Belarus-Facts-2007_engpdf) Specific aims include the mitigation of climate change the prevention of land degradation the conservation of biodiversity and the prevention of radioactive pollution These aims will be met by rehabilitating degraded peatlands and by securing their long-term conservation and sustainable use There are 17 pilot sites The construction of water regulation facilities has commenced at three sites Miranka Dokudovskoie and Bortenikha

Summary

Protection of peatlands is implemented via existing nature conservation designations However new designations can be added to provide protection for more areas Restoration of degraded mires and peats is promoted This can lead to restored areas obtaining designated status The current UNDP project is likely to prove very interesting from an ecosystems services perspective

The gradual progression of rehabilitation and protection from degraded peat via restored peatlands to designated area could be applied in the UK as a means of obtaining greater protection for peat areas

25 Croatia

Croatia has limited peatlands These have been influenced by human intervention and are relatively fragmented There are policies relating to national designated sites and also to climate change A strategy for Nature Conservation was adopted by Croatia in 1999 but this has had little impact on peatlands There is a concern to protect peatland biodiversity with some species threatened Natura 2000 sites have been identified However a lack of finance is a key problem and the loss of peatland is continuing Additionally some fens contain land mines from the 1991 ndash 1995 war Three fens are protected as special botanical reserves however these are still suffering from loss of area and landowner disputes are limiting current actions

As part of the Nature Protection Act (Official Gazette 702005) a new category of regional park was added to the existing eight categories of protected area (national park nature park strict reserve special reserve forest park significant landscape nature monument and monument of park architecture) It is proposed that after the establishment of the ecological network protection mechanisms will be applied in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive Two pieces of secondary legislation hang off the Nature Protection Act regulations to establish a national ecological network and ordinance regarding the nature protection impact assessment (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007)

There is currently some work funded by the Slovenia ndash Croatia Operational Programme 2007-2013 ndash Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007) this funding is available for countries joining the EU The PHARE project 2006-2008 is involved in Establishing of the NATURA 2000 for the Republic of Croatia This was started through the LIFE-III project ldquoBuilding up the National Ecological Network as part of a Pan-European Ecological Network and Nature 2000 ndash CRONENrdquo There is also funding from government and local authorities

Summary

Page 5 of 66

There are limited peatlands in Croatia and those that remain are under threat Efforts are being made to prevent the colonisation of peatlands by vegetation such as Molinia caerulea and bushes There appear to be EU funds available for nature conservation projects in countries joining the EU

26 Georgia

In Georgia a number of wetlands have been established as nature reserves since 1935 (IMCG in preparation) There are a number of Ramsar sites and two national parks The wetlands of Central Kolkheti are designated as a Ramsar site nationally they are covered by The Law of Georgia on Establishment and Management of Kolkheti Protected Areas (1999)

The peat policies in Georgia were assessed as not adequate However the use of peat as a fuel or fertiliser is no longer significant

27 Moldova

Only 142 of the territory of Moldova is protected (which is low compared to other European countries) There are no national parks and only one Ramsar site There are no known policies or guidelines relating to peat

28 Russia

Russian Peatlands

Russian peatlands and marshes cover 550 thousand km2 The principal peat areas are located in the north-western parts of Russia in West Siberia near the western coast of Kamchatka and in several other far-eastern regions The Siberian peatlands account for nearly 75 of Russias total reserves of peat second only to Canadarsquos

Management and Protection of Peatlands in Russia

There are regional variations in the approach to peatlands and different sectors have developed different guidelines The Russian Peatlands Action Plan aims to bring together the various sectorial approaches

The National Strategy of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia (Russian Academy of Sciences Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation 2001) makes reference to peatlands Peatlands are valued as carbon sinks and as regenerators of oxygen A project was undertaken in 20012002 to implement international conventions for peatlands in Russia This included an official review of resolutions on peatlands

Mires are generally in better condition where they are extensive (northwest European Russia West Siberia) and more under pressure in the southern region of European Russia steppe Urals Central Chernozem and around large cities

Historically mires were preserved indirectly via a landscape approach as part of nature conservation planning (IMCG in preparation) The protection of certain mire types was facilitated through traditionally quite strict nature management regulations that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia and in the Soviet Union and which still exist today In the Eleventh Century Yaroslav the Wise the Grand Prince of Kiev enacted the protection of forests and habitats of game animals (often associated with mires) Peter I issued royal enactments to establish water protection zones along rivers and floodplain conservation (IMCG in preparation)

Since the 1960s the intensive utilization of natural resources associated with mire ecosystems and the general national support of the wise use ideology have prompted work to provide for the restoration of mire resources and the conservation of mire ecosystem diversity

Page 6 of 66

Since the 1970s all legal acts and programmes concerned with mire improvement have incorporated approaches for the wise use of peatland resources The Torfgeologia Industrial Geological Association which is in charge of exploration for peat resources assessed the conservation importance of peat deposits in European Russia Botanical studies were carried out by the mire science section of the Botanical Society and by the Telma Group By identifying mires for protection the State Forest Service pursued a pragmatic purpose to exclude low productivity plantations from the total felling area However it is precisely these plantations that make up the bulk of the modern network of protected mires

National legislation is improving controls over mire use as well as providing for the conservation of mires within specially protected areas Priorities in the field of mire conservation are gradually changing for the better although perhaps too slowly The legal base regarding mires has gradually been rationalised It previously contained contradictions and discrepancies reflecting the traditional sectoral approach to mires and their resources

Current legislation considers mires as water bodies and allows for the establishment of protective shoreline bands and water protection zones Forests that grow on mires are regulated by the forest legislation while peat extraction is regulated by legislation on the earthrsquos interior Many federal legal acts (on land nature conservation etc) also directly affect mires

In practice the protection of mires is sometimes impeded by discrepancies in the interpretation of legislation For example because of varying interpretations of water legislation certain types of mires are not regarded as water bodies In some areas of Western Siberia all watershed mires are considered water bodies while ldquosogrardquo mires (forest fens having high species diversity) are not ldquoSogrardquo mires therefore lack the protection provided by the water legislation There is hope however that these discrepancies will gradually be eliminated

Russia needs to develop an integrated approach to the conservation and wise use of mires with collaboration between the various sectors An important step in this direction was made through the adoption of the inter-sectoral framework document ldquoAction Plan for Peatland Conservation and Wise Use in Russiardquo This document was developed as part of the implementation of decisions of the Ramsar Convention at the national level regarding the wise use of peatlands (Resolution VIII17) To fulfill some of the major aims of the Action Plan a long-term project on peatland conservation has been launched within the framework of the Wetlands International ndash Russia Programme This project includes issues of national policy and legislation international cooperation support of mire conservation and wise use information exchange education (raising awareness) and model field projects (httpwwwpeatlandsru and IMCG in prep)

Peat Fires and the Rewetting of Peatlands

Since the early Nineteenth Century peatlands in Western Russia have been drained and used for agricultural purposes drained peatlands also occur in the far eastern parts of Russia Moscow is half-surrounded by swamps and deep bogs that were drained in the 1960s for agricultural use afforestation and the mining of peat as fuel for power plants (httpfindarticlescomparticlesmi_hb5073is_200301ai_n18451356)

During summer droughts drained peatlands become the environments for the most troublesome and suppression-resistive kind of wildfire deep-seated underground peat fires (Goldammer J G Sukhini A and Csiszar I 2003 The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003) In most cases fires start outside the peatlands and are caused by forest visitors hunters tourists or by agricultural burning and burning activities along roads The legislation is unclear and is not enforced

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 3: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 3 of 66

Indirect services nutrient retention flood control groundwater recharge external ecosystem support micro-climatic stabilisation and shoreline stabilisation) and other values

Summary

The ecosystems services approach is of interest No clear policies or guidelines transferable to the UK have been identified

23 Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan there is no specific protection for mires or peatlands However Azerbaijan has ratified the Ramsar convention with two Ramsar sites being listed in 2001

24 Belarus

Mires and peatlands are covered by a system of laws on natural resources and environmental protection the basis of the legislation is the Constitution of Belarus (IMCG in preparation) There are polices regarding each of the following

bull Peatland and mire protection

bull Peat mining for fuel and agriculture (25 million tonnes per year for energy 28 million tonnes mined per year)

bull Use of drained peat soils in agriculture

bull Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands following peat winning

The aims of peatlandmire protection are (IMCG in preparation)

bull ldquoThe conservation of unique ecotopes for mire and wetland species of European

regional and local importance bull The conservation of mires for their functions in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide and

oxygen content water regime and climate on a regional scalerdquo The protection of mires is implemented in three ways (IMCG in preparation) 1 ldquoProtection of those mires and mire-landscapes that are already assigned as nature

conservation areas 2 The establishment of new conservation areas by reassigning sites from the Undivided

Peat Fund to the Nature Protection Fund 3 Restoration of peat-forming processes and recreation of new mires in anthropogenically

destroyed mires and peat depositsrdquo Previously drained areas can in some cases be transferred into ldquozapovedniksrdquo (nature reserves) or national parks after rewetting (IMCG in preparation)

The Republic of Belarus has joined the Convention on Biodiversity and the Ramsar Convention

Particular problems identified included fires on peatlands and the cost of extinguishing them and the slow rate of rehabilitation of peatlands after excavation The lack of a decision making process for determining how to use bogs following peat extraction limits the potential

Page 4 of 66

for regeneration of peatlands However there is the potential for restoration of a number of degraded peat areas

A significant UNDP project in Belarus (ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Belarus to Mitigate Climate Change Combat Land Degradation and Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversityrdquo 2005-2010) aims to develop integrated ecosystem management on degraded peatlands and to demonstrate the feasibility of generating multiple global benefits through such a management approach (see wwwmfagovbydocsbf_2007Belarus-Facts-2007_engpdf) Specific aims include the mitigation of climate change the prevention of land degradation the conservation of biodiversity and the prevention of radioactive pollution These aims will be met by rehabilitating degraded peatlands and by securing their long-term conservation and sustainable use There are 17 pilot sites The construction of water regulation facilities has commenced at three sites Miranka Dokudovskoie and Bortenikha

Summary

Protection of peatlands is implemented via existing nature conservation designations However new designations can be added to provide protection for more areas Restoration of degraded mires and peats is promoted This can lead to restored areas obtaining designated status The current UNDP project is likely to prove very interesting from an ecosystems services perspective

The gradual progression of rehabilitation and protection from degraded peat via restored peatlands to designated area could be applied in the UK as a means of obtaining greater protection for peat areas

25 Croatia

Croatia has limited peatlands These have been influenced by human intervention and are relatively fragmented There are policies relating to national designated sites and also to climate change A strategy for Nature Conservation was adopted by Croatia in 1999 but this has had little impact on peatlands There is a concern to protect peatland biodiversity with some species threatened Natura 2000 sites have been identified However a lack of finance is a key problem and the loss of peatland is continuing Additionally some fens contain land mines from the 1991 ndash 1995 war Three fens are protected as special botanical reserves however these are still suffering from loss of area and landowner disputes are limiting current actions

As part of the Nature Protection Act (Official Gazette 702005) a new category of regional park was added to the existing eight categories of protected area (national park nature park strict reserve special reserve forest park significant landscape nature monument and monument of park architecture) It is proposed that after the establishment of the ecological network protection mechanisms will be applied in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive Two pieces of secondary legislation hang off the Nature Protection Act regulations to establish a national ecological network and ordinance regarding the nature protection impact assessment (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007)

There is currently some work funded by the Slovenia ndash Croatia Operational Programme 2007-2013 ndash Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007) this funding is available for countries joining the EU The PHARE project 2006-2008 is involved in Establishing of the NATURA 2000 for the Republic of Croatia This was started through the LIFE-III project ldquoBuilding up the National Ecological Network as part of a Pan-European Ecological Network and Nature 2000 ndash CRONENrdquo There is also funding from government and local authorities

Summary

Page 5 of 66

There are limited peatlands in Croatia and those that remain are under threat Efforts are being made to prevent the colonisation of peatlands by vegetation such as Molinia caerulea and bushes There appear to be EU funds available for nature conservation projects in countries joining the EU

26 Georgia

In Georgia a number of wetlands have been established as nature reserves since 1935 (IMCG in preparation) There are a number of Ramsar sites and two national parks The wetlands of Central Kolkheti are designated as a Ramsar site nationally they are covered by The Law of Georgia on Establishment and Management of Kolkheti Protected Areas (1999)

The peat policies in Georgia were assessed as not adequate However the use of peat as a fuel or fertiliser is no longer significant

27 Moldova

Only 142 of the territory of Moldova is protected (which is low compared to other European countries) There are no national parks and only one Ramsar site There are no known policies or guidelines relating to peat

28 Russia

Russian Peatlands

Russian peatlands and marshes cover 550 thousand km2 The principal peat areas are located in the north-western parts of Russia in West Siberia near the western coast of Kamchatka and in several other far-eastern regions The Siberian peatlands account for nearly 75 of Russias total reserves of peat second only to Canadarsquos

Management and Protection of Peatlands in Russia

There are regional variations in the approach to peatlands and different sectors have developed different guidelines The Russian Peatlands Action Plan aims to bring together the various sectorial approaches

The National Strategy of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia (Russian Academy of Sciences Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation 2001) makes reference to peatlands Peatlands are valued as carbon sinks and as regenerators of oxygen A project was undertaken in 20012002 to implement international conventions for peatlands in Russia This included an official review of resolutions on peatlands

Mires are generally in better condition where they are extensive (northwest European Russia West Siberia) and more under pressure in the southern region of European Russia steppe Urals Central Chernozem and around large cities

Historically mires were preserved indirectly via a landscape approach as part of nature conservation planning (IMCG in preparation) The protection of certain mire types was facilitated through traditionally quite strict nature management regulations that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia and in the Soviet Union and which still exist today In the Eleventh Century Yaroslav the Wise the Grand Prince of Kiev enacted the protection of forests and habitats of game animals (often associated with mires) Peter I issued royal enactments to establish water protection zones along rivers and floodplain conservation (IMCG in preparation)

Since the 1960s the intensive utilization of natural resources associated with mire ecosystems and the general national support of the wise use ideology have prompted work to provide for the restoration of mire resources and the conservation of mire ecosystem diversity

Page 6 of 66

Since the 1970s all legal acts and programmes concerned with mire improvement have incorporated approaches for the wise use of peatland resources The Torfgeologia Industrial Geological Association which is in charge of exploration for peat resources assessed the conservation importance of peat deposits in European Russia Botanical studies were carried out by the mire science section of the Botanical Society and by the Telma Group By identifying mires for protection the State Forest Service pursued a pragmatic purpose to exclude low productivity plantations from the total felling area However it is precisely these plantations that make up the bulk of the modern network of protected mires

National legislation is improving controls over mire use as well as providing for the conservation of mires within specially protected areas Priorities in the field of mire conservation are gradually changing for the better although perhaps too slowly The legal base regarding mires has gradually been rationalised It previously contained contradictions and discrepancies reflecting the traditional sectoral approach to mires and their resources

Current legislation considers mires as water bodies and allows for the establishment of protective shoreline bands and water protection zones Forests that grow on mires are regulated by the forest legislation while peat extraction is regulated by legislation on the earthrsquos interior Many federal legal acts (on land nature conservation etc) also directly affect mires

In practice the protection of mires is sometimes impeded by discrepancies in the interpretation of legislation For example because of varying interpretations of water legislation certain types of mires are not regarded as water bodies In some areas of Western Siberia all watershed mires are considered water bodies while ldquosogrardquo mires (forest fens having high species diversity) are not ldquoSogrardquo mires therefore lack the protection provided by the water legislation There is hope however that these discrepancies will gradually be eliminated

Russia needs to develop an integrated approach to the conservation and wise use of mires with collaboration between the various sectors An important step in this direction was made through the adoption of the inter-sectoral framework document ldquoAction Plan for Peatland Conservation and Wise Use in Russiardquo This document was developed as part of the implementation of decisions of the Ramsar Convention at the national level regarding the wise use of peatlands (Resolution VIII17) To fulfill some of the major aims of the Action Plan a long-term project on peatland conservation has been launched within the framework of the Wetlands International ndash Russia Programme This project includes issues of national policy and legislation international cooperation support of mire conservation and wise use information exchange education (raising awareness) and model field projects (httpwwwpeatlandsru and IMCG in prep)

Peat Fires and the Rewetting of Peatlands

Since the early Nineteenth Century peatlands in Western Russia have been drained and used for agricultural purposes drained peatlands also occur in the far eastern parts of Russia Moscow is half-surrounded by swamps and deep bogs that were drained in the 1960s for agricultural use afforestation and the mining of peat as fuel for power plants (httpfindarticlescomparticlesmi_hb5073is_200301ai_n18451356)

During summer droughts drained peatlands become the environments for the most troublesome and suppression-resistive kind of wildfire deep-seated underground peat fires (Goldammer J G Sukhini A and Csiszar I 2003 The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003) In most cases fires start outside the peatlands and are caused by forest visitors hunters tourists or by agricultural burning and burning activities along roads The legislation is unclear and is not enforced

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 4: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 4 of 66

for regeneration of peatlands However there is the potential for restoration of a number of degraded peat areas

A significant UNDP project in Belarus (ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Belarus to Mitigate Climate Change Combat Land Degradation and Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversityrdquo 2005-2010) aims to develop integrated ecosystem management on degraded peatlands and to demonstrate the feasibility of generating multiple global benefits through such a management approach (see wwwmfagovbydocsbf_2007Belarus-Facts-2007_engpdf) Specific aims include the mitigation of climate change the prevention of land degradation the conservation of biodiversity and the prevention of radioactive pollution These aims will be met by rehabilitating degraded peatlands and by securing their long-term conservation and sustainable use There are 17 pilot sites The construction of water regulation facilities has commenced at three sites Miranka Dokudovskoie and Bortenikha

Summary

Protection of peatlands is implemented via existing nature conservation designations However new designations can be added to provide protection for more areas Restoration of degraded mires and peats is promoted This can lead to restored areas obtaining designated status The current UNDP project is likely to prove very interesting from an ecosystems services perspective

The gradual progression of rehabilitation and protection from degraded peat via restored peatlands to designated area could be applied in the UK as a means of obtaining greater protection for peat areas

25 Croatia

Croatia has limited peatlands These have been influenced by human intervention and are relatively fragmented There are policies relating to national designated sites and also to climate change A strategy for Nature Conservation was adopted by Croatia in 1999 but this has had little impact on peatlands There is a concern to protect peatland biodiversity with some species threatened Natura 2000 sites have been identified However a lack of finance is a key problem and the loss of peatland is continuing Additionally some fens contain land mines from the 1991 ndash 1995 war Three fens are protected as special botanical reserves however these are still suffering from loss of area and landowner disputes are limiting current actions

As part of the Nature Protection Act (Official Gazette 702005) a new category of regional park was added to the existing eight categories of protected area (national park nature park strict reserve special reserve forest park significant landscape nature monument and monument of park architecture) It is proposed that after the establishment of the ecological network protection mechanisms will be applied in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive Two pieces of secondary legislation hang off the Nature Protection Act regulations to establish a national ecological network and ordinance regarding the nature protection impact assessment (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007)

There is currently some work funded by the Slovenia ndash Croatia Operational Programme 2007-2013 ndash Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance Cross-border Cooperation (Ref CCI number 2007 CB16 I PO002 2007) this funding is available for countries joining the EU The PHARE project 2006-2008 is involved in Establishing of the NATURA 2000 for the Republic of Croatia This was started through the LIFE-III project ldquoBuilding up the National Ecological Network as part of a Pan-European Ecological Network and Nature 2000 ndash CRONENrdquo There is also funding from government and local authorities

Summary

Page 5 of 66

There are limited peatlands in Croatia and those that remain are under threat Efforts are being made to prevent the colonisation of peatlands by vegetation such as Molinia caerulea and bushes There appear to be EU funds available for nature conservation projects in countries joining the EU

26 Georgia

In Georgia a number of wetlands have been established as nature reserves since 1935 (IMCG in preparation) There are a number of Ramsar sites and two national parks The wetlands of Central Kolkheti are designated as a Ramsar site nationally they are covered by The Law of Georgia on Establishment and Management of Kolkheti Protected Areas (1999)

The peat policies in Georgia were assessed as not adequate However the use of peat as a fuel or fertiliser is no longer significant

27 Moldova

Only 142 of the territory of Moldova is protected (which is low compared to other European countries) There are no national parks and only one Ramsar site There are no known policies or guidelines relating to peat

28 Russia

Russian Peatlands

Russian peatlands and marshes cover 550 thousand km2 The principal peat areas are located in the north-western parts of Russia in West Siberia near the western coast of Kamchatka and in several other far-eastern regions The Siberian peatlands account for nearly 75 of Russias total reserves of peat second only to Canadarsquos

Management and Protection of Peatlands in Russia

There are regional variations in the approach to peatlands and different sectors have developed different guidelines The Russian Peatlands Action Plan aims to bring together the various sectorial approaches

The National Strategy of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia (Russian Academy of Sciences Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation 2001) makes reference to peatlands Peatlands are valued as carbon sinks and as regenerators of oxygen A project was undertaken in 20012002 to implement international conventions for peatlands in Russia This included an official review of resolutions on peatlands

Mires are generally in better condition where they are extensive (northwest European Russia West Siberia) and more under pressure in the southern region of European Russia steppe Urals Central Chernozem and around large cities

Historically mires were preserved indirectly via a landscape approach as part of nature conservation planning (IMCG in preparation) The protection of certain mire types was facilitated through traditionally quite strict nature management regulations that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia and in the Soviet Union and which still exist today In the Eleventh Century Yaroslav the Wise the Grand Prince of Kiev enacted the protection of forests and habitats of game animals (often associated with mires) Peter I issued royal enactments to establish water protection zones along rivers and floodplain conservation (IMCG in preparation)

Since the 1960s the intensive utilization of natural resources associated with mire ecosystems and the general national support of the wise use ideology have prompted work to provide for the restoration of mire resources and the conservation of mire ecosystem diversity

Page 6 of 66

Since the 1970s all legal acts and programmes concerned with mire improvement have incorporated approaches for the wise use of peatland resources The Torfgeologia Industrial Geological Association which is in charge of exploration for peat resources assessed the conservation importance of peat deposits in European Russia Botanical studies were carried out by the mire science section of the Botanical Society and by the Telma Group By identifying mires for protection the State Forest Service pursued a pragmatic purpose to exclude low productivity plantations from the total felling area However it is precisely these plantations that make up the bulk of the modern network of protected mires

National legislation is improving controls over mire use as well as providing for the conservation of mires within specially protected areas Priorities in the field of mire conservation are gradually changing for the better although perhaps too slowly The legal base regarding mires has gradually been rationalised It previously contained contradictions and discrepancies reflecting the traditional sectoral approach to mires and their resources

Current legislation considers mires as water bodies and allows for the establishment of protective shoreline bands and water protection zones Forests that grow on mires are regulated by the forest legislation while peat extraction is regulated by legislation on the earthrsquos interior Many federal legal acts (on land nature conservation etc) also directly affect mires

In practice the protection of mires is sometimes impeded by discrepancies in the interpretation of legislation For example because of varying interpretations of water legislation certain types of mires are not regarded as water bodies In some areas of Western Siberia all watershed mires are considered water bodies while ldquosogrardquo mires (forest fens having high species diversity) are not ldquoSogrardquo mires therefore lack the protection provided by the water legislation There is hope however that these discrepancies will gradually be eliminated

Russia needs to develop an integrated approach to the conservation and wise use of mires with collaboration between the various sectors An important step in this direction was made through the adoption of the inter-sectoral framework document ldquoAction Plan for Peatland Conservation and Wise Use in Russiardquo This document was developed as part of the implementation of decisions of the Ramsar Convention at the national level regarding the wise use of peatlands (Resolution VIII17) To fulfill some of the major aims of the Action Plan a long-term project on peatland conservation has been launched within the framework of the Wetlands International ndash Russia Programme This project includes issues of national policy and legislation international cooperation support of mire conservation and wise use information exchange education (raising awareness) and model field projects (httpwwwpeatlandsru and IMCG in prep)

Peat Fires and the Rewetting of Peatlands

Since the early Nineteenth Century peatlands in Western Russia have been drained and used for agricultural purposes drained peatlands also occur in the far eastern parts of Russia Moscow is half-surrounded by swamps and deep bogs that were drained in the 1960s for agricultural use afforestation and the mining of peat as fuel for power plants (httpfindarticlescomparticlesmi_hb5073is_200301ai_n18451356)

During summer droughts drained peatlands become the environments for the most troublesome and suppression-resistive kind of wildfire deep-seated underground peat fires (Goldammer J G Sukhini A and Csiszar I 2003 The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003) In most cases fires start outside the peatlands and are caused by forest visitors hunters tourists or by agricultural burning and burning activities along roads The legislation is unclear and is not enforced

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 5: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 5 of 66

There are limited peatlands in Croatia and those that remain are under threat Efforts are being made to prevent the colonisation of peatlands by vegetation such as Molinia caerulea and bushes There appear to be EU funds available for nature conservation projects in countries joining the EU

26 Georgia

In Georgia a number of wetlands have been established as nature reserves since 1935 (IMCG in preparation) There are a number of Ramsar sites and two national parks The wetlands of Central Kolkheti are designated as a Ramsar site nationally they are covered by The Law of Georgia on Establishment and Management of Kolkheti Protected Areas (1999)

The peat policies in Georgia were assessed as not adequate However the use of peat as a fuel or fertiliser is no longer significant

27 Moldova

Only 142 of the territory of Moldova is protected (which is low compared to other European countries) There are no national parks and only one Ramsar site There are no known policies or guidelines relating to peat

28 Russia

Russian Peatlands

Russian peatlands and marshes cover 550 thousand km2 The principal peat areas are located in the north-western parts of Russia in West Siberia near the western coast of Kamchatka and in several other far-eastern regions The Siberian peatlands account for nearly 75 of Russias total reserves of peat second only to Canadarsquos

Management and Protection of Peatlands in Russia

There are regional variations in the approach to peatlands and different sectors have developed different guidelines The Russian Peatlands Action Plan aims to bring together the various sectorial approaches

The National Strategy of Biodiversity Conservation in Russia (Russian Academy of Sciences Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation 2001) makes reference to peatlands Peatlands are valued as carbon sinks and as regenerators of oxygen A project was undertaken in 20012002 to implement international conventions for peatlands in Russia This included an official review of resolutions on peatlands

Mires are generally in better condition where they are extensive (northwest European Russia West Siberia) and more under pressure in the southern region of European Russia steppe Urals Central Chernozem and around large cities

Historically mires were preserved indirectly via a landscape approach as part of nature conservation planning (IMCG in preparation) The protection of certain mire types was facilitated through traditionally quite strict nature management regulations that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia and in the Soviet Union and which still exist today In the Eleventh Century Yaroslav the Wise the Grand Prince of Kiev enacted the protection of forests and habitats of game animals (often associated with mires) Peter I issued royal enactments to establish water protection zones along rivers and floodplain conservation (IMCG in preparation)

Since the 1960s the intensive utilization of natural resources associated with mire ecosystems and the general national support of the wise use ideology have prompted work to provide for the restoration of mire resources and the conservation of mire ecosystem diversity

Page 6 of 66

Since the 1970s all legal acts and programmes concerned with mire improvement have incorporated approaches for the wise use of peatland resources The Torfgeologia Industrial Geological Association which is in charge of exploration for peat resources assessed the conservation importance of peat deposits in European Russia Botanical studies were carried out by the mire science section of the Botanical Society and by the Telma Group By identifying mires for protection the State Forest Service pursued a pragmatic purpose to exclude low productivity plantations from the total felling area However it is precisely these plantations that make up the bulk of the modern network of protected mires

National legislation is improving controls over mire use as well as providing for the conservation of mires within specially protected areas Priorities in the field of mire conservation are gradually changing for the better although perhaps too slowly The legal base regarding mires has gradually been rationalised It previously contained contradictions and discrepancies reflecting the traditional sectoral approach to mires and their resources

Current legislation considers mires as water bodies and allows for the establishment of protective shoreline bands and water protection zones Forests that grow on mires are regulated by the forest legislation while peat extraction is regulated by legislation on the earthrsquos interior Many federal legal acts (on land nature conservation etc) also directly affect mires

In practice the protection of mires is sometimes impeded by discrepancies in the interpretation of legislation For example because of varying interpretations of water legislation certain types of mires are not regarded as water bodies In some areas of Western Siberia all watershed mires are considered water bodies while ldquosogrardquo mires (forest fens having high species diversity) are not ldquoSogrardquo mires therefore lack the protection provided by the water legislation There is hope however that these discrepancies will gradually be eliminated

Russia needs to develop an integrated approach to the conservation and wise use of mires with collaboration between the various sectors An important step in this direction was made through the adoption of the inter-sectoral framework document ldquoAction Plan for Peatland Conservation and Wise Use in Russiardquo This document was developed as part of the implementation of decisions of the Ramsar Convention at the national level regarding the wise use of peatlands (Resolution VIII17) To fulfill some of the major aims of the Action Plan a long-term project on peatland conservation has been launched within the framework of the Wetlands International ndash Russia Programme This project includes issues of national policy and legislation international cooperation support of mire conservation and wise use information exchange education (raising awareness) and model field projects (httpwwwpeatlandsru and IMCG in prep)

Peat Fires and the Rewetting of Peatlands

Since the early Nineteenth Century peatlands in Western Russia have been drained and used for agricultural purposes drained peatlands also occur in the far eastern parts of Russia Moscow is half-surrounded by swamps and deep bogs that were drained in the 1960s for agricultural use afforestation and the mining of peat as fuel for power plants (httpfindarticlescomparticlesmi_hb5073is_200301ai_n18451356)

During summer droughts drained peatlands become the environments for the most troublesome and suppression-resistive kind of wildfire deep-seated underground peat fires (Goldammer J G Sukhini A and Csiszar I 2003 The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003) In most cases fires start outside the peatlands and are caused by forest visitors hunters tourists or by agricultural burning and burning activities along roads The legislation is unclear and is not enforced

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 6: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 6 of 66

Since the 1970s all legal acts and programmes concerned with mire improvement have incorporated approaches for the wise use of peatland resources The Torfgeologia Industrial Geological Association which is in charge of exploration for peat resources assessed the conservation importance of peat deposits in European Russia Botanical studies were carried out by the mire science section of the Botanical Society and by the Telma Group By identifying mires for protection the State Forest Service pursued a pragmatic purpose to exclude low productivity plantations from the total felling area However it is precisely these plantations that make up the bulk of the modern network of protected mires

National legislation is improving controls over mire use as well as providing for the conservation of mires within specially protected areas Priorities in the field of mire conservation are gradually changing for the better although perhaps too slowly The legal base regarding mires has gradually been rationalised It previously contained contradictions and discrepancies reflecting the traditional sectoral approach to mires and their resources

Current legislation considers mires as water bodies and allows for the establishment of protective shoreline bands and water protection zones Forests that grow on mires are regulated by the forest legislation while peat extraction is regulated by legislation on the earthrsquos interior Many federal legal acts (on land nature conservation etc) also directly affect mires

In practice the protection of mires is sometimes impeded by discrepancies in the interpretation of legislation For example because of varying interpretations of water legislation certain types of mires are not regarded as water bodies In some areas of Western Siberia all watershed mires are considered water bodies while ldquosogrardquo mires (forest fens having high species diversity) are not ldquoSogrardquo mires therefore lack the protection provided by the water legislation There is hope however that these discrepancies will gradually be eliminated

Russia needs to develop an integrated approach to the conservation and wise use of mires with collaboration between the various sectors An important step in this direction was made through the adoption of the inter-sectoral framework document ldquoAction Plan for Peatland Conservation and Wise Use in Russiardquo This document was developed as part of the implementation of decisions of the Ramsar Convention at the national level regarding the wise use of peatlands (Resolution VIII17) To fulfill some of the major aims of the Action Plan a long-term project on peatland conservation has been launched within the framework of the Wetlands International ndash Russia Programme This project includes issues of national policy and legislation international cooperation support of mire conservation and wise use information exchange education (raising awareness) and model field projects (httpwwwpeatlandsru and IMCG in prep)

Peat Fires and the Rewetting of Peatlands

Since the early Nineteenth Century peatlands in Western Russia have been drained and used for agricultural purposes drained peatlands also occur in the far eastern parts of Russia Moscow is half-surrounded by swamps and deep bogs that were drained in the 1960s for agricultural use afforestation and the mining of peat as fuel for power plants (httpfindarticlescomparticlesmi_hb5073is_200301ai_n18451356)

During summer droughts drained peatlands become the environments for the most troublesome and suppression-resistive kind of wildfire deep-seated underground peat fires (Goldammer J G Sukhini A and Csiszar I 2003 The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003) In most cases fires start outside the peatlands and are caused by forest visitors hunters tourists or by agricultural burning and burning activities along roads The legislation is unclear and is not enforced

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 7: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 7 of 66

Currently there are plans to restore peatlands by flooding These plans have been promoted by the Ministry for Emergency Situation (EMERCOM) but in many places they are opposed by peat extractors or the owners of datcha properties established on former peatlands A recent paper by Bannikov et al (2003) provides an in-depth case study of peat fires in Western Russia This reveals the problems arising from peat fires and highlights the need to develop land-use plans that would avoid future fire and smoke disasters in Western Russia (Bannikov MV AB Umarova and MA Butylkina 2003 Fires on drained peat soils of Russia Causes and effects International Forest Fire News No 28 29-32)

Summary

There are no specific Russian laws or guidelines applicable to the UK situation However Russian plans to re-wet peatlands ndash and the conflicts that can result ndash do have a parallel in the UK

29 Serbia and Montenegro

In Serbia and Montenegro1 peat has long been used for heating and as a building material More recently it has been used for horticulture balneology and recreation Peatlands are used mainly for peat extraction agriculture grazing and mowing some areas of drained blanketraised bog are used for forestry Berry-picking and the utilisation of herbs for medicinal purposes are traditional especially in the mountainous regions

Over the years wetlands have been drained for agriculture (especially in Vojvodina since the mid-19th Century) and large mires in the Danube Sava and Tisa flood areas have been lost Some peatland areas have been lost due to the construction of dams for water supply or for electric power plants (eg Vlasina Lake)

In the 1970s Yugoslavia became a member of the Ramsar Convention and the conservation of wetlands became more effective However there has not been extensive research into peat conservation and most data on peatlands come from studies focusing on the utilisation of peat as a resource

210 Ukraine

Policies and Guidelines

Ukraine has a number of policies and guidelines relevant to peat and peatlands (IMCG in preparation)

bull Resolution of the Council of Ministers On Measures concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (1979 143)

o This resolution approved a list of peatlands of Ukraine for the purposes of conservation

o Today only about one-third of these peatlands are in their natural condition

bull Resolution of the Government of Ukraine 107 (1981) prohibits the development of peat deposits less than 1m thick

bull Law of Ukraine On Protection of the Environment (1991)

o This covers the use of natural resources including peat (Article 40)

o Use of natural resources by citizens authorities entities and organisations is subject to certain mandatory requirements including (i) the rational and

1 Serbia and Montenegro together with Bosnia Herzegovina Croatia Macedonia and Slovenia were all previously states of Yugoslavia

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 8: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 8 of 66

economical use of natural resources (ii) the adoption of measures to protect natural resources and the environment and (iii) the restoration of natural resources

bull Land Code of Ukraine (1992)

o Deep peat deposits are considered as specialvaluable productive lands and their privatisation is not allowed

o The Land Code regulates the granting of permission for peat extraction

bull Code on Minerals (1994)

o Peat is considered to be a combustible solid mineral resource of national value

bull In 1994 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention on Biodiversity

bull The Water Code of Ukraine (1995) defines a mire as an ldquoexcessively wet land area with long standing water and specialised vegetationrdquo Mires including peat mires are covered by the Water Fund

bull Law of Ukraine ldquoParticipation of the Ukraine to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (adopted 1996)

o This recognised Ukraine as a signatory to the Ramsar Convention

bull Policy and Strategy for Conservation of Peatlands in the Concept of Conservation of Ukraines Biological Diversity (Regulation 439 dated May 12 1997)

o The main focus of this policy is the conservation of biological diversity

bull ldquoGreen Data Bookrdquo (1997) and applicable Regulations approved by the Ministry for Environment of Ukraine

o These provide a mechanism for protecting vegetative groupings

bull Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine ldquoThe Main Directions of Policy of Ukraine for Environmental Protection Use of Natural Resources and Guarantee of Ecological Safetyrdquo (3rd March 1998 188)

o Priorities include improving the preservation of biological and landscape diversity and creating balanced systems of natural resource use

Protection of Peatlands in Ukraine

The information in this section is sourced from ldquoPeatland Policies in European Countriesrdquo IMCG in preparation)

Valuable natural sites including peat mires are protected by the granting of reserve status In the Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine (1994) On the Program of perspective development of reserves in Ukraine the protection of areas and species is provided for by the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (Law of Ukraine ldquoOn Nature Reserve Fundrdquo 1994) This aims to do the following

bull Protect biodiversity

bull Maintain the representative and unique landscapes of Ukraine

bull Maintain ecological stability

bull Strengthen monitoring of and research into the natural environment

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 9: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 9 of 66

bull Support education

Some peatlands are protected in Nature Reserves (Rivnenskyi and Polissian) and National Nature Parks (Shatskyi Desniansko-Starogutskyi Carpathian Synevyr) in some Regional Landscape Parks and in Carpathian Biosphere Reserve However the most widespread protection measure is the creation of Wildlife Reserves (Zakaznyks) or Reserve Stows These can include woodland steppe and mires There are currently 88 Wildlife Reserves of national importance that contain peat When an area is declared a Wildlife Reserve restrictions are placed on the activities of the landowner

Wetland sites of national importance are designated under the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine On Approval of the Regulations on Wetlands of National Importance (February 8 1999 166) 70 protected areas will be set up as part of the Program for the Setting up of the National Econet of Ukraine 15 of these areas will include valuable peatlands

Wetlands are also protected by the granting of Ramsar status A list of wetlands of international importance was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ldquoOn Measures Concerning Protection of Wetlands which are of International Importance (November 23 1995 935) 22 wetlands were listed including three wetlands with peat mires Shatsk Lakes Prypiat River Floodplains and Stokhid River Floodplains

Peatlands are explicitly protected by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine On Measures Concerning Conservation of Natural Conditions of Mire Massifs (26031979 sup1143) There are other resolutions related to the recultivation of land disturbed during mineral exploration and these cover the rehabilitation of mires Firms organisation and other entities that develop mineral deposits on agricultural land woodland and fish-economic land are obliged (at their own expense) to restore the land to a usable condition when mining ceases The following minimal thicknesses of peat are required for different final land uses

bull Agricultural ndash 05 m bull Afforestation ndash 03 m bull Ponds (fishing) and other purposes ndash 015m The measures regarding the protection of peat mires allow for punishment for violations (Code of Ukraine on administrative violations) The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine About approval of the rates for charge of the size of indemnification of a harm caused by violation of the nature protection local law within boundaries of territories and sites of Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine (April 21 1998 521) establishes the size of the fine for burning one hectare of wetland vegetation as 20000 Ukrainian Hryvnas (about 4000 US dollars)

The Law of Ukraine On Amelioration of Lands (2000) includes a number of nature protection aspects that are relevant to peatlands

A UNDP-funded project entitled ldquoRenaturalisation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Combat Land Degradation Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Changerdquo (2005-2010) covers Ukraine (see section on Belarus)

Functions and Uses of Mires

Mires are seen as having economic functions (peat production fodder game medicinal plants) and non-economic functions (regulation of climate natural filtering of water recreation education etc) Together these functions generate wealth and provide a healthy environment for people However if the use of mires is to be sustainable then there must be a balance between economic and non-economic functions

Traditionally the economic functions of mires have had priority From the 1950s large areas were drained Today more than half of Ukrainersquos mires have been drained Large-scale drainage has had a number of negative consequences including soil erosion pollution and loss of habitat

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 10: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 10 of 66

Current Threats to Peatlands in Ukraine

The main threat to Ukrainian peat deposits is peat extraction peat is mainly used for fuel but is also used in agriculture and horticulture Since the Second World War more than 300000 hectares of peat mire have been drained for agriculture Landowners are allowed to extract peat down to a depth of 2m without seeking permission

Areas from which peat has been extracted tend to be used for agriculture (arable land pasture hay making) or forestry or converted into fish ponds Large areas of peat have been flooded to create water storage basins (eg on the Dnieper River)

Other threats to peatlands in the Ukraine include chemical pollution radioactive pollution (Chernobyl) the construction of dams and flood defences the construction of infrastructure (eg high-speed rail links) fires (encouraged by draining) and the mineral rights of private landowners

Ukrainian Organisations Involved in the Management and Protection of Peatlands

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine grants permission for peat enterprises Landowners can extract peat to a depth of 2 m without permission The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine defines the strategy of peat mining and after-use The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine deals with activities concerning international agreements on peatland protection

List of Organisations

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

State Geological Commission

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources

Central Board of National Nature Parks and Reserve Affairs

Department of Geology and Use of Minerals

State Informational Geology Fund

Department of Geodesy Cartography and Geoinformation

State Departments on Ecological Safety in each Oblast (Region)

Main State Environmental Inspection

Scientific Centre of Reserve Affairs (Institute of Ecology in process of creation)

Public Council (NGO)

New Regional Ecological Centre (in process of creation)

Ministry of Fuel and Energy

Ukrainian Concern of Peat Industry ldquoUkrPeatrdquo (UkrTorf)

State Enterprise Northern Ukraine Geology

Ministry of Agricultural Policy

Department of Fishery

Institute for Agriculture

State Committee of Forestry

Institute of Forestry (Kyiv)

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 11: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 11 of 66

Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Amelioration (Kharkiv)

Polissian Forest Scientific Research Station (Zhytomyr)

Authority ChornobylLis (Chernobyl Forest)

State Committee of Land Resources

State Committee of Aquatic Resources

211 Norway

Norway has policies relating to designated sites and in particular to areas without major infrastructure (over 1km from road rail or power lines) Additional policies relate to forestry and agriculture

ldquoLiving Forests standards for sustainable forest management in Norwayrdquo (httpwwwlevendeskognosidertekstaspside=345ampsubmeny=tomampniv2=ampmenuid=246) provides national standards for sustainable forest management There are a number of requirements and rules that describe what a forest owner must do in order to achieve the standard set for ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo These are based on and do not take precedence over statutory provisions governing commercial activities in forests One requirement is that at least 5 of productive forest areas must be managed as areas of ecological importance Such forest areas may include ldquobog forestrdquo and ldquoswamp forestrdquo which are defined as occurring ldquoon peat land or swampy soil where the vegetation is dominated by hydrophilic species and an element of swamp plantsrdquo

The ldquoLiving Forestsrdquo standard includes requirements for the creation of stable buffer zones around bogs lakes rivers and streams Buffer zones have a number of functions including the provision of habitatshelter for wildlife the creation of stable corridors between areas of forest and the filtering of nutrient-rich water

The Land Act includes provision for protecting and making new agricultural land (httpwwwubuionoujurulovdatalov-19950512-023-enghtml) In summary the purpose of this Act is to provide suitable conditions to ensure that the land areas in the country including forests and mountains and everything pertaining thereto (land resources) may be used in the manner that is most beneficial to society and to those working in the agricultural sector The Act requires that all (profitable) cultivated land be retained for agricultural use and maintained in such a state as to be fit for agricultural production in the future

When a person excavates bogs for peat products or other technical purposes the Act requires that an adequate layer of peat or soil be left in place The bog area must be restored with a view to future use of the land for agricultural purposes and nature conservation If a holder of the right to extract peat deems that his right has been diminished to an unreasonable extent as a result of the provisions he may apply to the Land Consolidation Court for an alteration of conditions for use (cf Chapter 6 of the Land Consolidation Act)

In order to avoid damage to the natural and cultural landscape the Ministry of Agriculture may lay down provisions regarding new cultivation Such provisions may prohibit new cultivation and determine that new cultivation may only take place in accordance with plans approved by the Ministry

The Planning and Building Act of 14th June 1985 (No 77) covers land use planning but does mention peat specifically (httpwwwregjeringennoendocLawsActsPlanning-and-Building-Acthtmlid=173817) The Act promotes land use that is of the greatest possible benefit to the individual and to society The act is related to Regulations on Environmental Impact Assessment (2005) The purpose of these Regulations is to ensure that the environment natural resources and community are taken into account in the preparation of plans or projects and when a decision is made as to whether and on what conditions plans or projects may be carried out

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 12: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 12 of 66

Restoration and Preservation of Mires

The two main criteria for mire preservation in Norway have been (IMCG in prep)

bull Conservation of representative mire ecosystems within the different vegetation regions of Norway

bull Preservation of interesting unusual or extreme mire ecosystems

A number of national plans for nature protection have been drawn up under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment The Mire Reserve Plan and the Plan for Preservation of Wetlands (primarily as bird sanctuaries) are two such plans So far 260 mire reserves have been established covering an area of 572 km2 (the mire area is about 300-400 km2 ie more than 1 of the mire area in Norway) In a few years about 300 mire reserves will exist In addition to these reserves large mire areas are protected in wetland reserves national parks and other types of protected area At present (May 2002) 93 of the area of Norway is protected in nature reserves national parks or protected landscapes The largest protected area (the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjell National Park designated on 1 June 2002) covers 4266 km2 and includes a larger area of mire than any of the mire nature reserves About 5 of the mire area in Norway is legally protected However a large part of this is upland mire lowland mires in the south and west of the country are most threatened

Restoration work (eg blocking of ditches) has been carried out in a few reserves At the Soslashlendet Nature Reserve in the eastern part of central Norway an area of 100 ha has been restored as a former hay-making fen the area has been regularly mown for the last three decades (IMCG in preparation) Soslashlendet is now an important reference site for knowledge about the effect of scything However the great majority of mire reserves have no management plan and a large number of them require such a plan to protect their natural qualities including rare and threatened species (eg many orchids)

There are some management plans for specific nature reserves but no known guidelines regarding peat management in general

Summary

In Norway as in the UK prime agricultural land is protected This protection is likely to limit restoration of peatlands that have become productive farmland

The forestry provision is interesting as there is a system for certification of forests where a minimum of 5 of the area is given nature conservation priority This could include swamp or bog forests This approach could be applied (or adapted) to forestry in the UK

A buffer zone approach has been developed around bog and swamp forests This has similarities to the Hydrological Protection Zones method developed by Natural England in the UK (JNCC report 365 2005 wwwjnccorguk) The UK buffer zone approach could be revisited and applied more widely in the light of the Norwegian experience The Norwegian buffer zones appear to be fairly generic and small whereas those developed by JNCC are site-specific and large There might be scope for learning from the Norwegian method and adopting narrower (and more easily enforceable) buffer zones around peatland areas in the UK

212 Switzerland

Switzerland has policies relating to biodiversity forestry agriculture recreational areas land-use planning landscape and nationally-designated sites

The Federal Decree on the Protection of Mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires fens and landscapes is found at

httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr This website contains much information on guidelines and laws relating to wetlands including

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 13: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 13 of 66

bull Les Marais et leur protection en Suisse Office feacutedeacuterale de lrsquoenvironnement des forecircts et du paysage OFEFP 2002 This details different sorts of wetlands (including peatlands) species of Sphagnum found and other flora and fauna It documents human interaction with wetlands the history of protection of wetlands and the aims of protecting wetlands and the monitoring of wetland areas It includes a description of buffer zones including their hydrological and nutrient limiting functions Many wetlands and mires in Switzerland include some forest Forest in the buffer zone must be managed according to conservation objectives Where the mire is adjacent to agricultural land fertilisation is prohibited Animal grazing is allowed if the maintenance regime allows open pasture One of the most frequent impacts on mires is drainage and a lowering of water levels Around 100 regeneration projects are currently on-going in Switzerland Reference is made to examples of protection measures agricultural payments for nature conservation benefits and monitoring (to check the outcomes of actions with regard to nature conservation objectives)

bull Legal basis ndash an overview of federal environmental regulations is provided by the 2005 publication ldquoPanorama of Environmental Lawrdquo This compendium lists and summarises the most important legislation

bull Protection Policy on Bogs and Transitional Bogs - in force since 1991

bull Protection Policy on Fens - in force since 1994

bull Protection Policy on Mire Landscapes - in force since 1996

bull Law of Nature and Landscape Protection (LPN) Article 5 18a to 23b specifies certain inventories including landscape inventories and inventories of wetland sites (which were part of the Rothenthurm Initiative 1987) Biotopes inventories are also made Mires and wetland sites have been protected by the Federal Constitution since 1987 Since then inventories have been required of raised and transition mires (1991) fenlowland mires (1994) and mire landscapes (1996) The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection Cantons issue ordinances for protection and permit extraction contracts

bull ldquoState and Evolution of Wetlands in Switzerlandrdquo (June 2007) this report summarises the most important results of monitoring the effectiveness of Swiss mire protection The areas of raised bog and fen of national importance have approximately been maintained However the quality of the mires has declined Many mires have become drier poorer in peat and richer in nutrients and have experienced an increase in woody plant growth Regeneration measures have been successful but they have also been too infrequent and on too small a scale to compensate for the qualitative losses There are considerable deficiencies in the implementation and execution of buffer zones Mire landscapes are threatened by the construction of buildings roads and paths

Peat mining has led to around 90 destruction of Swiss peatlands which has resulted in a strong movement to stop extraction activities Since the early 1990s the remaining peatlands have been protected

From the beginning of the 20th century some mires have been protected by law In 1971 mire protection benefited from the European Year of Nature Conservation Between 1978 and 1984 an inventory of the raised and transitional bogs of Switzerland was carried out (Gruumlnig et al 1986) this was commissioned by the Swiss League for Nature Conservation (today Pro Natura) and the World Wildlife Fund Switzerland (WWF) This inventory formed the basis for the Rothenthurm Initiative which was accepted by the Swiss population in 1987 As a result mires and mire landscapes are protected under the Federal Constitution Article 78 Paragraph 5 At the same time the Government began designating habitats of national importance within the Federal Act on Wildlife Countryside and National Heritage Protection To do this the Government took over the inventory of raised bogs (Swiss Federal Council

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 14: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 14 of 66

1991) and extended the inventory of fens (Swiss Federal Council 1994) and the inventory of mire landscapes (Swiss Federal Council 1996)

The cantons are responsible for the implementation of mire protection In general the mire-rich cantons are poor in financial resources but support is available from the Swiss Government

The canton authorities implement the laws and guidelines and as resources are often lacking results are often slow in arriving The policies are reasonably effective at preserving pristine mires and in setting up buffer zones around peatlands However they are less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires This means that the general trend (as evidenced by monitoring) is a decrease in area and quality of mires (httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730) Guidelines regarding biodiversity forestry agriculture farming and land-use planning can be found at

httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809

The protection of peatlands in Switzerland is justified almost entirely on the basis of conserving biodiversity and rare and endangered species The role of peatlands in regulating water resources has been considered from time to time but not in any detail Public support for mire protection is generally greatest in areas where most mires have already been drained

An example of mire protection in Switzerland is provided by the Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch admitted by UNESCO in 2001 This site covering 396 km2 is the first (and at the moment the only) protected biosphere reserve in Switzerland It contains mires and a karst area as core regions

Summary

Switzerland has a comprehensive inventory monitoring and management system for wetlands including peatlands However despite many restoration projects and protection measures the state of mires is declining Areas which may have relevance to the UK include

bull The use of buffer zones

bull Agricultural payments

bull Condition and vegetation monitoring including use of remote sensing techniques

bull Wetland monitoring with regard to conservation objectives 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW Table 1 summarises the distribution of peat in non-European countries by continent

Table 1 Non-European Peatland Resources

Continental area Area of peatland (km2) Peatland Africa 58534 018 Asia 1523287 106 Australia New Zealand the Pacific and Antarctica

8009 004

North Central and South America

2050746 483

Notes source EHS Northern Ireland httpwwwpeatlandsnigovukformationeurohtm

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 15: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 15 of 66

4 CHINA Major areas of peatland occur in northeast China (Dongbei) and on the Tibetan plateau They are threatened ecosystems with large areas being used for agriculture It is estimated that less than 25 of the original peat area remains undisturbed (IMCG httpwwwimcgnetdocumsa04sa04htma2)

China has peat-related policies in the areas of biodiversity (Regulations for Nature Reserves in P R China httpwwwgovcnziliaoflfg2005-0927content_70636htm) and minerals (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Mineral Resources Laws in P R China httpwwwmlrgovcnpubmlrdocumentst20041125_74922htm)

Some peatlands have been protected as high (national) grade nature reserves and others as low grade (county municipal or provincial grade) Examples of National grade nature reserves include Jinchuan Hani Zhenbaodao Ruoergai and Wuyiling peatlands Ruoergai Peatland is an internationally important wetland site

The Ecosystems Services approach has not been adopted in China although the ecological functions of peatlands are recognised

5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES The largest area of peatland in the Americas (1235000km2) is found in Canada The United States of America also has substantial areas of peat increasing northwards (50 of the peat in the USA occurs in Alaska) However north of 60oN the low temperatures are less favourable for peat formation

51 Canada

Canadian peatlands cover 113 million hectares and make up over 11 of the surface area of the country (Daigle J and Gautreau-Daigle H 2001 Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Environment Second Edition North American Wetlands Conservation Council Committee Issues Paper No 2001-1 httpwwwpeatmosscompm-me3php)

There is a Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation which includes peatlands (see below) The Governments of Alberta New Brunswick Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have programs legislation or policies concerning peatlands

Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation

Wetlands (including peatlands) are covered by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (1991) the objective of which is to ldquopromote the conservation of Canadarsquos wetlands to sustain their ecological and socio-economic functions now and in the futurerdquo (httpwwwwetlandscanadaorgFederal20Policy20on20Wetland20Conservationpdf) For the purposes of the Policy wetlands are defined by the Canadian Wetland Classification System (Warner B G amp Rubec C D A [eds] 1997 The Canadian Wetland Classification System Wetlands Research Centre University of Waterloo Waterloo Ontario 68pp) and include swamps marshes bogs fens and shallow bodies of water The Policy sets out the following goals

bull Maintenance of the functions and values derived from wetlands

bull No net loss of wetland functions

bull Enhancement and rehabilitation of wetlands

bull Recognition of wetland functions

bull ldquoSecurementrdquo of wetlands of significance to Canadians

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 16: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 16 of 66

bull Recognition of sustainable management practices in sectors such as forestry and agriculture

bull Sustainable utilisation of wetlands

The Policy outlines seven strategies for achieving these goals

1 Developing public awareness

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote public awareness and understanding of the wetland resource in Canada and actively encourage participation of the Canadian public including landowners non-government organizations aboriginal governments and institutions and the private sector in wetland conservationrdquo

2 Managing wetlands on Federal lands and waters and in other Federal Programs

ldquoThe Federal Government will develop exemplary practices in support of wetland conservation and sustainable wetland use to be incorporated in the design and implementation of federal programs and in the management of federal lands and watersrdquo

3 Promoting wetland conservation in Federal Protected Areas

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to manage the use of National Parks National Wildlife Areas Migratory Bird Sanctuaries National Capital Commission lands and other federal areas established for ecosystem conservation purposes so as to sustain their wetland functions and natural processesrdquo

4 Enhancing cooperation

ldquoThe Federal Government will continue to be a partner in cooperative activities and agreements with the provinces and territories and non-government agencies to advance wetland conservationrdquo

5 Conserving wetlands of significance to Canadians

ldquoThe Federal Government will participate in and promote the establishment of a systematic and coordinated national network of secured wetlands to be achieved in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders Such an approach will lead to a comprehensive network of secured sites or complexes of exemplary and strategically important wetlands of significance to Canadians together representing the full range of wetland functions and typesrdquo

6 Ensuring a sound scientific basis for policy

ldquoThe Federal Government will support and promote the development of expertise for a sound technical and scientific basis for wetland conservation ensuring that the information necessary for making decisions regarding wetlands is accessible to planners managers regulators and other decision-makers at all levelsrdquo

7 Promoting international actions

ldquoThe Federal Government will promote conservation and sustainable use of wetlands internationally and encourage the involvement of other nations and international organizations in wetland conservation effortsrdquo

Designated Sites

Some 9 of Canadarsquos wetlands have been protected under various designations (see Wiken E Moore H amp Latsch C 2004 Peatland and Wetland Protected Areas in Canada Wildlife Habitat Canada Science Report May 6 2004 httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42)

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 17: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 17 of 66

The online Canadian Conservation Area Database (CCAD) sponsored by the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is now out of date and no longer available It is due to be replaced by a new database - Conservation Areas Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS) by Spring 2007 (httpcceaorgcartshtml)

Canada is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada compiles information on activities that support the Convention Examples of such activities can be found in Wiken E and Latsch C 2005 Wildlife Habitat Canadarsquos Report to the CWS Ramsar Coordination Office WHC Contributions to Ramsar ndash 20032004 period April 2005 (httpwwwpeat-portalnetindexcfmampmenuid=50ampparentid=42) Many of these activities relate directly to peatlands

Biodiversity

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) covers ecological functions of wetlands including ldquopreservation of biodiversity and vitality of speciesrdquo

Canada receives funds under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) which was passed by the United States Congress in 1989 The Act (httpwwwterreshumidescanadaorgnawcahtml) supports the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP - httpwwwnawmpcaengindex_ehtml) Funds are used for securing restoring enhancing andor managing wetland ecosystems

Minerals

The Province of New Brunswick provides an example of Canadian provincial policy on peat mining Peat is considered a quarriable substance and its extraction from Crown Lands is administered under the Quarriable Substances Act of 1993 (httpwwwgnbca0062actsactsq-01-1htm) Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 87-83 (Clean Environment Act 1987) all proposals for peat mining must be registered with the Minister of Environment and Local Government The Government of New Brunswick has a Provincial Policy on Peat Mining (Policy number MRE-004-2005 website httpwwwgnbca0078mineralsPeat-easp) that includes the statement ldquoThe Province supports a responsible approach to developing the peat resource sector through conservation and by ensuring that abandoned mine sites are reclaimed or fully restored to their natural peatland functionrdquo The effective date of the Policy is July 21 2005 it is due for review on July 21 2009

Horticulture

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) made up of peat moss producers and marketers aims ldquoto promote the benefits of peat moss to horticulturists and home gardeners throughout North Americardquo (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-cspmaphp) The CSPMA has a Preservation and Reclamation Policy for peatlands (httpwwwpeatmosscompm-prrecphp) that covers the periods before during and after peat harvesting

Ecosystem Services

The Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation (see above) refers to the value of wetland functions (equivalent to services) and quotes an estimated financial value of wetlands in excess of $10 billion An ecosystem service assessment is in progress

Sustainability of the Canadian Peat Industry

The Canadian peat industry extracts about 200 metric tonnes of peat per year This is sustainable because the federal or provincial resource is being replenished by peat formation elsewhere The peat moss industry has invested in research on the restoration and regeneration of sphagnum moss

Funding for Peat Research and Peatland Management

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 18: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 18 of 66

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants are available for research The Energy Department has provided grants to resource users such as members of the peat moss industry Provincial funding is available for peatland initiatives

Summary

Canada has well-developed policies and legislation for the management and protection of peatlands There is good cooperation between industry government regulators and academic researchers

52 United States of America

The United States has both federal and state law which influences the effectiveness of peat protection There are policy instruments for all sectors A coastal zone management program is present in most states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland ldquodevelopmentrdquo proposals and is under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) However the pro-development US Corps of Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue and they rarely do it The US COE is administered in local ldquoDistrictsrdquo which are clearly influenced by the local politics Some areas provide reasonable protection of peatlands others less so Because of their administrative set-up they operate locally and somewhat independently of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas are ldquograndfatheredrdquo out of the permit process

There are guidelines for all types of wetland including peatlands Management funds are limited but are available via a number of routes Sometimes these are legislatively acquired on a year-by-year basis in other cases they are funded by the permit process - the arrangement depends on the State

The policy in the US for over 120 years was to drain wetlands with Swamp acts of 1849 1850 1860 resulting in a dramatic change in the landscape By the mid-1970s about half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states were drained Since the 1970s there have been many laws regulations and public polices with the aim of protecting wetlands However there is no specific national wetland law (Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000) Wetland management and protection result from the application of many laws intended for other purposes Jurisdiction over wetlands has also been spread over several agencies and overall federal policy continually changes and requires considerable interagency coordination In addition wetlands have been managed under regulations related to both land use and water quality Neither of these approaches taken separately can lead to a comprehensive wetland policy The regulatory split mirrors the scientific split noted by many wetland ecologists ndash that between aquatic and terrestrial systems A summary of some relevant laws is provided in Table 2

Table 2 Major US Laws Directives and Regulations Regarding Wetlands (since 1980)

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency

Food Security Act ndash Swampbuster provisions ndash denied federal subsidies to any farm owner who knowingly converted wetlands to farm land after the act became effective

1985 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Emergency Wetland Resources Act ndash requires US Fish and Wildlife Service to update its report on the status of and trends in wetlands every 10 years

1986 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Executive order 12630-Constitutionally Protected Property Rights

1988 All Agencies

Wetlands Delineation Manual (various 1987 All agencies

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 19: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 19 of 66

Directive or Statute Date Responsible Federal Agency revisions) 1989

1991

ldquoNo Net Loss Policyrdquo ndash to achieve no overall net loss of the nationrsquos remaining wetlands base and to create and restore wetlands where feasible to increase the quantity and quality of the nationrsquos wetland resource base

1988 All agencies

North American Wetlands Conservation Act ndash purpose to encourage voluntary public-private partnerships to conserve North American wetland ecosystems Provides grants mainly to state agencies and private and public organisations to manage restore or enhance wetland ecosystems to benefit wildlife From 1991-mid1999 almost 650 projects were funded

1989 US Fish and Wildlife Service

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration act

1990 US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands Reserve Program 1991 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Executive Order 12962 ndash Conservation of Aquatic Systems for Recreational Fisheries

1995 All Agencies

Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act

1996 Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Policy and Technical Guidance

Water Quality Standards Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

Non-point Source Guidance 1990 Environmental Protection Agency

MitigationMitigation Banking 1990 1995

US Army Corps of Engineers

Wetlands on Agricultural lands memo of agreement

1990 1994

US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Wetlands and Forestry Guidance 1995 US Army Corps of Engineers Department of Agriculture

Notes Source Mitsch William J and Gosselink James G Wetlands 3rd Edn Pub Wileyamp Sons 2000

At present the main vehicle for wetland protection in the US is Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPCA) together with the amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500) and subsequent amendments The Act requires anyone dredging or filling in waters to have a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers Following a number of court cases ldquowatersrdquo is interpreted as including wetlands Currently the law is applied as follows

1 Avoidance ndash taking steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable

2 Minimisation ndash minimising potential impacts to wetlands

3 Mitigation ndash providing compensation for any remaining unavoidable impacts through the restoration or creation of wetlands

For potentially significant impacts a specific Section 404 permit is required but for more minimal impacts a general permit may be issued Permits should not be granted (according to Corps regulations) if a wetland is identified as performing important functions for the public such as biological support wildlife sanctuary storm protection flood storage groundwater

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 20: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 20 of 66

recharge or water purification However if the benefit of the proposal outweighs the impacts a permit may nevertheless be granted There is considerable background information regarding Section 404 of the Clean Water Act on the EPA website (httpwwwepagovOWOWwetlandsregs)

The wetland delineation manual (US Army Corps of Engineers 1987) identified criteria in hydrology soils and vegetation for an area to be delineated as wetland This was followed by separate documents from other government services which led to a single Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (1989) However the 1987 manual is most commonly used following challenges to the stricter 1989 manual

In terms of finance

bull The Coastal Zone Management Program has provided up to 80 matching funds grants to states to develop plans for coastal management (protecting wetlands Is a high priority)

bull The National Flood Insurance Program offers some protection to riparian and coastal wetlands by offering federally subsidised flood insurance to state and local governments that enact local regulations against development in flood-prone areas

bull The Clean Water Act authorised $6million to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to complete its inventory of wetlands

There are numerous wetland fact sheets available from the US EPA website These include

bull Wetlands overview

bull Types of wetlands

bull Functions and values of wetlands

bull Economic benefits of wetlands

bull Threats to wetlands

bull Wetland restoration

bull Teaching about wetlands

bull Hypoxia and wetland restoration

NGOs can play an important role in the management of wetlands The Association of State Wetland Managers Inc (ASWM) has information about federal state and local wetland programmes (httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm)

Economic Value of Wetlands

The US EPA has produced a fact sheet on the economic benefits of wetlands (wwwanjecorgpdfsEasementCD-EconomicBenefitspdf) The principles of ecosystem evaluation are explained at httpecosystemvaluationorgdefaulthtm

Summary

The assessment of the functions provided by a wetland prior to permitting works is similar to an ecosystem service assessment and may provide experience relevant to the latter

6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES Peatlands are not a very characteristic habitat of the Southern Hemisphere but small areas are found in several countries including New Zealand Australia and Antarctica The

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 21: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 21 of 66

peatlands of the southern region may appear insignificant on a global scale but they are important because they differ from northern peatlands in terms of vegetation and animal communities

Limited questionnaire information is available from New Zealand most of the policies relating to peat are with regard to wetlands However in the assessment of the respondent the policies are ineffective out of date have no teeth and are generally ignored Wetlands continue to be drained and modified There is possibly a view that education is better than regulation but loss of wetland and habitat continues

Japan has no policies relating to peat or peatlands but it does have guidelines for wetland conservation at a local government level There are laws covering national parks and the Ramsar Convention sites

7 CONCLUSIONS There is a high degree of variability in the level of information available The countries with the most accessible information are

bull Norway

bull Switzerland

bull Canada

bull USA

There is also some information from Belarus the Ukraine and Russia

Educations versus legislation

A number of countries have used the approach of education regarding the value of peatlands eg New Zealand and Armenia However the experience in New Zealand of prioritising education over legislation to protect peatlands is that this is not very effective Legislation rather than education appears to be necessary

The US experience indicates that provision of legislation is important There have been (relatively unsuccessful) challenges to the designation of wetland areas where these have impacted on the economic use of the land However the manual used in practice for definition of wetlands is a workable version rather than the most rigorous environmentally conservative version which has been rejected following a number of challenges

Mapping and Monitoring

A number of countries particularly newer countries in the former eastern block are in the process of mapping and documenting their wetlandpeatland resources Even highly developed countries like Norway recognise the need for better mapping of peatlands In most countries mapping appears to be the precursor to protecting restoring or managing peatlands Switzerland updates its maps of wetlands every five years the US updates its maps every 10 years

Laws

National laws on wetlandspeatlands are influenced by international treaties particularly the Ramsar Convention Other treaties frequently referred to include Convention on Biological Diversity Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA protocol) and various trans-boundary conventions

In a number of countries the divisions between country level or federal legislation and state or canton level means that legislation may be defined at a national level but enforced at a more local level The level of enforcement in practice depends upon the level of funds available and is often patchy Where laws are determined at a regional level there can be different levels of protection of peatlands between regions

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 22: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 22 of 66

Other Factors

Wildfires have generally reduced in the last century in western Eurasia but have increased in the Eurasian part of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Goldammer Johann G Sukhini Anatoly and Csiszar Ivan The Current Fire Situation in the Russian Federation Implications for Enhancing International and Regional Cooperation in the UN Framework and the Global Programs on Fire Monitoring and Assessment GFMC contribution to the International Workshop ldquoNew Approaches to Forest Protection and Fire Management at an Ecosystem Levelrdquo Khabarovsk Russian Federation 9-12 September 2003)

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 23: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 23 of 66

Summaries of questionnaire responses for non-EU (temperateboreal) countries

NB All blank entries indicate no entry was included by the respondent It does not necessarily mean that a policy does not exist Most

entries are included as verbatim from the respondent Some editing of entries for the English language and grammar is included

Japan

Country Japan (Hokkaido)

Profession University researcher

Designated sites

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects No

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 24: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 24 of 66

for peat

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments We donrsquot have any policy or guideline relating to peat or peatland We only have some guidelines for wetland conservation on local government level and laws for national parks and Ramsar Convention sites

Georgia

Country Georgia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes international

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 25: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 25 of 66

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology Yes

Funding No

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services No

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy The Law about Kolkheti Protected Areas 1999 Please indicate the aims of the policies The aim is to establish National Park to protect the unique environmental cultural and historical features of wetlands of Kolkheti lowland which have status of Wetlands of International Importance since 1996 The area includes of peatlands of Central and South Kolkheti Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength is that in the areas under protection it is strictly prohibited to do any activities harming local ecosystem including extraction of peat The weakness is that it doesnrsquot cover all peatland areas in the region and does not consider restoration of degraded peatlands Constructing big terminals and harbors

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 26: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 26 of 66

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 27: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 27 of 66

Serbia

Country Serbia

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects There is no long history of intensive peat usage in Serbia Approximately 15 years ago the exploitation of larger scale started by private companies in protected area (Vlasina) There is a strong conflict between users

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 28: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 28 of 66

and conservation authorities (including inspection) due to financial gains coming from exploitation This conflict also has political background since business lobby in this case has stronger political position There are attempts to regulate exploitation and restrict it to unprotected zones or zones with

Ecosystem Services No not to my knowledge (information from SEPA) Lack of capacities

Effectiveness comment httpwwwekoserbsrgovyudokumentiuredbeUredba_Vlasinapdf (it is in Serbian in Cyrillic letters) Decree on protection of Vlasina Lake Please indicate the aims of the policies

Conservation and protection of existing natural values and restriction and control of exploitation of peat

Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate in

general4 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Weakness inadequate implementation instruments for implementation not developed Strength addressing issues in the way which allows protection

Comments No In Serbian legislation (regarding nature conservation) peatlands are treated as part of ldquowetlands grouprdquo there is no explicit reference to peatland as such There is one piece of legislation Decree on designation of Vlasina Lake which is protected predominantly for peat and floating peat islands - Serbian MoE is developing document Sustainable use of natural resources which is still not finalized and it is dealing with peat from different aspects The document is a state policy and will be approved by the Parliament once finalized and submitted to relevant government bodies In this documents peat relate to national designation energy biodiversity

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 29: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 29 of 66

Australia

Country Australia

Profession Peatland researcher

Designated sites Yes Both National amp International

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology Yes ndash but only as covered in general archaeology legislation

Funding

Cultural aspects

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 30: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 30 of 66

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments For biodiversity protection

Two components of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community have been

listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) These are the

ldquoAlpine Bog Communityrdquo and the ldquoFen (Bog Pool) Communityrdquo (VSAC 1991a and 1991b VDSE 2007) In

NSW the ldquoMontane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland NSW North Coast Sydney

Basin South East Corner South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregionsrdquo has been listed as an

endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act)

(NSWDECC 2004) The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community matches the

component of this state listing that occurs in the Australian Alps Bioregion Finally ldquoSphagnum peatlandrdquo

is listed as Rare under Schedule 3A of the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in Tasmania (TFPA 2007)

Buttongrass moorlands are not dealt with specifically in Tasmania but are largely protected in National

Parks

Nationally biodiversity (including peatlands) is dealt with under the Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (httpwwwenvironmentgovauepbcindexhtml) and internationally

peatlands are dealt with under RAMSAR and World Heritage Area conventions both of which Australia is

a signatory to

Throughout Australia each State has different rules for peat mining generally dealt with under the

mining acts for each of the Australian States Mining is generally not allowed in national parks (thereby

protecting some of the Sphagnum peatlands) In reality mining of peat is generally dealt with on a case

by case basis The most infamous peat mining case is Wingecarribee Swamp

(httpwwwuoweduauartsstssbederwingecarribeevalueecosystemhtml) where the largest montane

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 31: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 31 of 66

peatland in south-eastern Australia was subject to mining (against expert advice) and consequently

suffered a massive peat collapse This has had extremely negative effects on the peatland but also

affected water quality in the catchment

Please indicate the aims of the policies3

To protect high conservation value peatlands ndash mostly Sphagnum peatlands Sphagnum peatlands

occupy a very small component of the Australian landmass Fire and climate change are currently the

biggest threats to peatland conservation in Australia ndash and these are not dealt with in a policy setting Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate ndash but the situation for Sphagnum peatlands may change shortly with the possible national listing of alpine Sphagnum communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mining has generally had precedence over conservation values

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 32: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 32 of 66

Armenia

Country Armenia

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization

Designated sites Yes National and International (Ramsar List Important Bird Area on international level National Park on national level)

Biodiversity No

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No

Archaeology No

Funding No

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 33: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 33 of 66

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services Yes

No

Yes

1 country-wide

2 Jenderedjian K et al 2004 Identification of ecological and economical values and threats of

rmenias peatlands a framework for conservation restoration and wise use

Effectiveness comment Not Adequate The National Wetland Policy is under development with funds available from the Ramsar SGF and Norwegian Miistry of Foreign Affairs It is anticipated that peatlands will find here appropriate place The National Wetland Policy is espected to be adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2009 What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Peatlands and peat do not mentioned in Armenian legislation as type of landscapeecosystem and resource So far they do not stress on uniqueness of peatlands at all This is expected to include in the future National Wetland Policy paper

Comments The Water Code adopted on 04062002

Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 27112006 Please indicate the aims of the policies3 The objective of Water Code is to protect national water resources including wetlands and thus

peatlands

The Article 27 of the Law on the National Water Policy of the Republic of Armenia regulates measures for

protection of important wetlands (including peatlands) from the risks negative impacts through 1)

valuation inventory and mapping 2) impact assessment 3) assessment of influence of wetlands on

environment 4) exchange of information between different administrative and management authorities 5)

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 34: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 34 of 66

development and implementation measures securing wetlands protection

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 35: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 35 of 66

Belarus

Country Belarus

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Energy Agriculture Water Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Land-Use Planning Other (please state) Yes National amp International

Biodiversity Yes - 324 000 hectares (now) but we need 714 000 hectares

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes - 1 068 000 hectares

Water management Yes

Energy Yes - Titleweb address 140000 hectares 2 500 000 tons per year

Minerals Yes - 2 800 000 tons per year

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes - several sites more than 200000 hectares

Recreation Yes - very many sites for hunting collection of berry mushrooms

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes - several sites

Coastal Management No

Peat trading Yes - about 300 000 tons per year

Guidelines and projects Yes - Cadastre of peatlands (9212 peatlands)

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 36: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 36 of 66

for peat Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding Yes but for several peatlands only

Cultural aspects Yes Yes but only in nature reserves and several zakazniks

Ecosystem Services Yes

Yes

YesNo

Only for several peatlands There is a lack of money

Effectiveness comment

Comments Peatland and mire protection 2Peat mining for fuel and agriculture 3The Use of drained peat soils in agriculture 4 Ecological rehabilitation of peatlands after peat winning 1There is too small inventory of virgin peatlands 2Very many fires on drained and peat cutted peatlands (from 2500 till 8000 fires per year dependently on the weather 3 Process of rehabilitation of peatland after peat excavations goes slowly (only 26000 hectares from 220000 hectares)

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 37: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 37 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Private consultancy mandatory representative of the Swiss federal agency for environment Agriculture Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmlaction=show_publamplang=frampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 donwload in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=VUampnr_publ=8809 download in German

Agriculture Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Forestry Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Manuel de la conservation des marais

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 38: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 38 of 66

Guidelines and

projects for peat

Yes Same statement as for policies No time to go into such details at present Sorry

Archaeology No

Other Landscape

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes Peat mining has led to ca 90 destruction of swiss peatlands which in turn was a major argument to stop definitively any extraction activity and to put all the remaining peatlands under strict protection since the early nineties

Ecosystem Services No

No

No The protection of peatlands in Switzerland was justified almost exclusively through the conservation of biodiversity and of rare and endangered species The idea of peatlands playing a role in the regulation of water resources has been evoked from time to time but due to lack of financial resources was never studied in such a way that it could be used as an argument for a better protection of mires

Effectiveness

comment

Comments Federal decree on the protection of mires and associated laws and decrees for bogs and transitional mires for fens and for mire landscapes httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=fr in French httpwwwbafuadminchlebensraeume01555indexhtmllang=de in German Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect mires and landscapes against peat mining and further destruction and to encourage regeneration of degraded mires Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective More or less effective and adequate Actually as cantonal authorities are supposed to put into practice the aims of the policies and as resources are often lacking results are slow to produce some effects

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 39: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 39 of 66

What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Adequate policies to determine what has to be done to protect and manage mires with some success on preserving more or less pristine habitat and setting up buffer zones around peatlands Less effective in terms of regeneration of degraded mires so that the general trend in the evolution of swiss mires still shows a decrease in area and quality despite of protection status Recent publication on the swiss mires monitoring (November 200) httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=frampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in French httpwwwbafuadminchpublikationenindexhtmllang=deampaction=show_publampid_thema=21ampseries=UZampnr_publ=0730 in German

Protection policy on bogs and transitional bogs in force since 1991 Protection policy on fens in force since 1994 Protection policy on mire landscapes in force since 1996

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 40: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 40 of 66

South Africa

Country South Africa

Profession Other (please state IMCG

Designated sites Yes - If yes indicate if National and International Ramsar National and Provincial conservation areas (eg SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976

Biodiversity Biodiversity (Nature Conservation)

Yes NEMA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT NO 107 OF 1998 2007 changes List of activities identified to section 24 and 24D of NEMA 1998 ndash GN 387 Applications subject to scoping and environmental impact assessment 4 Extraction of peat

Agriculture Yes CARA Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983

Forestry No

Soils Yes

Water management Yes National Water Act (Act 36 of1 998)

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes SANPARKS ACT - National Parks Act 1976 (Act 57 of 1976) National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act 2003 (Act No 57 of 2003) Regulation 39 (c) intentionally disturb any - (i) wood mulch peat or other dead vegetation or animal in a special nature reserve national park or world heritage site

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 41: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 41 of 66

Peat trading Yes CARA

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology No

Funding Yes

Peat Working Group Department of Water Affairs funding for policy on regulation on peat mining

Cultural aspects Yes

Yes from a natural resource management Commercial extraction and commercial agriculture is closely monitored Yes from a subsistence cultivation viewpoint ndash legislation is poorly enforced Traditional practices is allowed to continue nearly unhindered even bordering on commercial scale operation in traditional tribal areas

Ecosystem Services Yes

Wet-ECOservices (Kotze et al 2005)

Effectiveness comment Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) South Africa do not have a specific wetland act Wetlands are protected under legislation of Dept of Agriculture Dept Water Affairs and Forestry and Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (see attached presentations) Coordination is at times a problems between these departments as well as provincial departments that must implement legislation Peatland are cobered ny these wetland legislation A special work group ndash the South African Peatland Working Group coordinate government action where peatland exploitation is concerned

Government Policy Mining of peat in South Africa is controlled through legislation by the Department of Agriculturersquos Directorate for Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM) A shortage of manpower a shortage of information on the extent and distribution of peatlands and a lack of understanding regarding peatland ecosystems are however hampering monitoring and rehabilitation objectives

Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 42: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 42 of 66

Peat is managed and regulated in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act httpwwwndaagriczadocsAct43Enghtm and is not a mineral in terms of the Minerals Act (Act no 100 of 1991) even though it is a geological commodity a precursor of coal and as such part of a geological process Plans to mine a peat deposit must be accompanied by and Environmental Impact Assessment and must be approved by the relevant government departments as represented on the Peat Working Group Permission to mine peat is granted by means of Article 7 of Act no 43 of 1983 Violation of Article 7 is a criminal offence and can lead to legal prosecution The latest amendments to South Africarsquos National Environmental Management Act (in 2005) httpwwwinfogovzagazetteacts2004a10-04pdf or httpwwwngogridanosoesansoerresourcenemaindexhtm resulted in the mining of peat being a listed activity in terms of the new amendments The commissioning of an Environmental Impact assessment will thus be compulsory with any application to mine peat The activities associated with the mining of peat such altering the beds and banks of the wetland diverting or impeding of flow also requires a water use license in terms of the National Water Act (see attached document) httpwwwdwafgovzaDocumentsLegislatureNWAamend_finaldocpdf The South African Peat Working Group The LUSM expressed its concern in August 1997 about the impact of unplanned and illegal peat mining in the Gauteng Province The Council for Geoscience (CGS) was approached and four peat mining sites were visited in the first half of September 1997 It was acknowledged during these field visits that the illegal as well as the legal peat mining operations were causing severe degradation of these sensitive wetland ecosystems and it was decided to form a South African Peat Working Group (PWG) to deal with what was perceived to be an unacceptable situation The PWG was established in November 1997 and the decisions were taken to bull Extend representation and cooperation to include the Department of Water Affairs amp Forestry and various

relevant non-governmental organisations and research bodies ie Provincial conservation departments

Rennies Wetland Project Water Research Council Agricultural Research Council (ARC) etc

bull Re-evaluate existing legislation and policies

bull Encourage public interest in peatlands

bull Step up monitoring and policing activities depending on funds and manpower

bull Classify as a matter of urgency sensitive ldquono-gordquo peatland areas of high conservation value eg

mountain sponges health risk areas eg sewage radioactive and heavy metal polluted peatlands and

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 43: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 43 of 66

potential peat fire hazard areas in afforested and potential afforested areas and

bull Establish as a matter of urgency the location of peat mining operations throughout the country

The PWG identified a lack of research and co-operation between relevant departments and industry and a lack of funds and manpower as the main stumbling blocks in the way of effective evaluation and management of South African peatlands The wetlands and peatlands of Gauteng and North West Provinces were by the LUSM ARC and the DEAT as a research priority A peat mining guideline document was compiled (see attached)

Comments See text below and web links in green Please indicate the aims of the policies3 Wetland protection in general Water resource protection see below Other comments The South African government has acknowledged that wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services but that a high level of wetland loss and degradation occur in the country These impacts vary from mine water pollution to draining and erosion It thus created a programme that now falls within the Expanded Public Works Programme This programme Working for Wetlands housed at SANBI (httpwetlandssanbiorg) combines proactive preventative measures with remedial interventions focused on past degradation It needs to raise awareness and influence behaviour and practices impacting on wetlands rather than focusing exclusively on engineering solutions It is the vision of Working for Wetlands to facilitate the conservation rehabilitation and sustainable use of wetland ecosystems in accordance with South Africas national policy and commitment to international conventions and regional partnerships In so doing Working for Wetlands seeks to optimise opportunities with respect to ecological integrity water and food security human well-being and poverty alleviation Working for Wetlands combines the provision of work training and opportunities to the poorest of the poor with the rehabilitation of wetlands The program comprises of 5 key areas Rehabilitation

bull Partnerships bull Communication education and public awareness bull Capacity building bull Research and planning

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 44: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 44 of 66

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 45: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 45 of 66

Switzerland

Country Switzerland

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation

Designated sites Agriculture Water Forestry Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Climate Change Soil Game Management RecreationAccess Land-Use Planning Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Foresty

Soils Yes

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes (itrsquos prohibited in mire sites)

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Federal Constitution paragraph 78 concerning the conservation of nature and cultural heritage

(in german httpwwwadminchchdsr101a78html)

Ordonance concerning the conservation of bogs (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_32html)

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 46: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 46 of 66

Ordonance concerning the conservation of fens (in german httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_33html)

Ordonance concerning the convervation of mire landscapes (in german

httpwwwadminchchdsrc451_35html)

Please indicate the aims of the policies bull Mires and mires of national importance and outstanding beauty are protected areas Any construction and any alterations of the soil is prohibited Exceptions are possible if they serve the conservation or the already extisting agricultural use of the places bull plant and animal species which are typical for bogs and fens are to be enhanced their ecological basis is to be conserved bull the application of fertilizer or any other chemical substance is prohibted bull any new drainage and any ploughing is prohibited bull3 inventories list the conserved areas bullthe cantonal authorities are invited to restore altered bogs and fens whenever it makes sense Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Adequate What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Strength bull most of the fens and bogs (1700 fens and 550 bogs) are protected on a national level additional places may be protected on a cantonal level bull for most of the places the land use is regulated by the authorities Weakness bull the responsibility is placed to the cantonal authorities their conservation and restoration programmes are not coordinated bull many of the regulations of the land use are not sufficient to keep the places (buffer zones may be too small invasion by shrubs and trees may take place pasturing may be too intensive) bull most of the ancient drainages are still working and quite efficient bull at some places in the alps there are problems with winter tourism (application of artificial snow pists for skiing and cross-country skiing) guidelines are listed in ldquoHandbuch Moorschutz in der Schweiz ndash Grundlagenrdquo (in german) available at wwwbbladminchbundespublikationen

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 47: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 47 of 66

order number 310710d Archaeology

Funding Yes

Farmers get subsidies from the nature conservation authorities to manage the mire sites in the interest of their conservation Some restoration projects are launched by the nature conservation authorities of the cantons

Cultural aspects Yes

After a loss of about 95 of all peatland people got aware of the ldquovaluerdquo of the remaining sites for nature conservation This led to an amendment of the federal constitution in favour of the mires

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or stateWe hope to start it in the near future Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state We hope to start it in the near future Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state

Effectiveness comment Adequate

Most of the sites which are listed in the inventories of fens and bogs of national importance

Comments

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 48: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 48 of 66

New Zealand

Country New Zealand

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organization (Research Institute)

Designated sites Biodiversity (Nature Conservation) Yes-some National (significant sites) amp International (Ramsar)

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry

Soils

Water management Yes

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes but mostly under the umbrella of wetlands2

Archaeology

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 49: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 49 of 66

Funding

Cultural aspects

Ecosystem Services

Effectiveness comment

Comments If you answered Yes to any of the above If possible please provide a title andor link to a web site with the policy document(s) or email us a copy of the policy Most are under the umbrella of wetlands eg NZ wetlands Management Policy 1986 Commission for the Environment PO Box 10-241 Wellington (may be available through MfE (see below) Ministry for the Environment (MfE) are currently developing a sustainable water programme of action (supposed to include wetlands) wwwmfegovtnz Waikato regional policy statement (348 wetlands) and other references to peat management httpwwwwaircgovtnzpolicyandplansrpsintrodocumentsrpspdf Please indicate the aims of the policies3 NZ wetlands management policy 1986 Protection and preservation of representative important wetlands wetlands inventory of most significant wetlands promote public awareness Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Ineffective4 Has no teeth is out of date and is ignored The Resource Management Act 1991 is more effective in protecting wetlandspeatlands under section 6 (a) the protection of the natural character ofhellipwetlandshellip and the protection of them from inappropriate subdivision use and development Also section 6 (c) the protection of areas of significant indigenous vegetation and significant habitats of indigenous fauna What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) Mainly weaknesses - See above ndash as wetlands continue to be drained and modified

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 50: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 50 of 66

The NZ Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000 (publishers Department of Conservation and MfE) and progress was assessed after 5 years to show that biodiversity loss still continues Wetlands (included in freshwater ecosystems) was identified as a high priority for protection management and restoration (only 101 of original extent of wetlands remains) However the government has decided not to develop a biodiversity policyhellip Many councils (and probably the govt) are reluctant to put rules in their plans to protect our natural ecosystems as they maintain that education is better than regulation However this has not stopped the continued loss of forests wetlands etc Some councils are far more pro-active than others eg Waikato Regional Council has developed a sustainable peat farming guide ndash ldquoFor peatrsquos sakerdquo and have rules protecting wetlands

Croatia

Country Croatia

Profession University

Designated sites Yes - National

Biodiversity Yes - Cronen IPA Natura 2000

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals No

Climate change Yes

Game management No

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 51: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 51 of 66

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Archaeology

Funding Yes One part is given by Government one part by local authorities

Cultural aspects No

Ecosystem Services No

No

No

Since the peatlands of Croatia are so small (from 100 square meters to few hectars) there are mearly points of special conservaton interest and we clean them and protect from vegetational succession (removing of Molinia caerulea and bushes)

Effectiveness comment

Comments National Strategy of Nature protection Natura 2000 (we do organize the net in 2008) Please indicate the aims of the policies3 To protect peatland biodiversity Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective The policy is new and there is not yet any evidence of effectiveness What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered)

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 52: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 52 of 66

Since the peatlands are very rare and only fragmentary developed (disappeared through ages due to climate changes and anthropogenic inflience it is impossible tomaintain them forewe ndash we only prolong the rest of peatland duration Policy is effective as it could be considering circumstancies (see previous page) Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3 National park of Plitvice Lakes (Lika region) Dubravica (Hrvatsko zagorje) Blatusa (Banovina) Plaski (Lika)

State Department for Nature Protection

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 53: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 53 of 66

Argentina

Country Provincia de Tierra del Fuego Argentina

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation Interested individual

Designated sites Water and Land-Use Planning

Biodiversity Yes Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project)

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Energy No

Minerals Yes - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005) ndash IMCG httpwwwimcgnet Conclusions and guidelines from the Workshop on water basins regulated by peatlands(2004) ndash Document attached (in Spanish)

Climate change No - The IMCG Ushuaia Statement (2005)

Game management Yes ndash Idem 3

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning Yes Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management Conclusion of the Workshop ldquoBasis for the water plan of the Province o Tierra del Fuegordquo Proposal for the Law of creation of a Protected Area in Peninsula Mitre(Law project) httpwwwhidricosargentinagovarANEXO1-ConclusionesTFuegopdf

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 54: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 54 of 66

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes If yes indicate if International and provide a title or web address for the guidance httpwwwimcgnet To planify the wise use of mires and peatlands Donrsquot promote peat extraction activities until to concrete the previous point Dissemination and education about mires values ecological services fragility etc Creation of a protected area in Peninsula Mitre Proposal of the Provincial Law of Water Management including topics related to mires conservation considering the mire importance on runoff regulation Protection of pristine mires of high scenic potential and ecological values Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate2 There are propped guidelines but they have not been applied Please indicate example sites (or locations) where guidelines have been applied3

Archaeology

Funding No

Cultural aspects No

Peat usage is relatively recent in Tierra el Fuego (and Argentina) Peat extraction started on 1970 and increased in the last years Fens are used for grazing since the beginning of 20th century (this is the main cultural fact but it is related to mires) Peatlands are not being used for agriculture

Ecosystem Services No

Yes

Yes

Effectiveness comment

Comments 2- National Mining Law 24498- to regulate mineral extraction National Law 24585 -Environmental protection ndash Additional to the National Mining Law httpwwwmineriagovar

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 55: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 55 of 66

4 14- National Law 15554 Creation of the Tierra del Fuego National Park This park includes Sphagnum mires- 414- Constitution of the Province of Tierra del Fuego Art 54 It determines Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) as historical and ecological reservation 4 14 Provincial Law 272 ndashProvincial System of Protected Areas httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitelpleyes 12- Provincial Law Nordm 370 Regime of the Cultural and Paleontological Provincial Heritage- to protect archeological and paleontological provincial sites httpwwwlegistdfgovarsitedocumentosleyesprov 15 Custom normative for peat exportation wwwaduanaargentinacom Please indicate the aims of the policies Please comment in your opinion are the policies in your statecountry effective Not Adequate There are insufficient policies to guarantying mires conservation and its rational use There are not policies specifically addressed to mires conservation What are the policy strengths and weaknesses (eg areas where they work well areas not covered) The National Park creation was an effective way to protect an important mountain area which includes mires Mires are not threatened here

a view of historical current and possible future position on peatland policies and guidelines

see Iturraspe R y Urciuolo A (2004) Les tourbieres de la Terre de Feu en Argentine un patrimoine

naturel tres menace Geocarrefour Vol 79 ndash 4 Pag 143-152 2004

Iturraspe R J y Urciuolo A 2005 Past Present and Future of Tierra del Fuego Mires Abstracts Book IMCG 2005 Tierra del Fuego Field Simposium Ushuaia 2111ndash 1122005 pp49-52 the proportion of peatlands (of given habitat types) under statutory protection (national or

international) Very low less than 05

the area of peatlands exploited for different uses - especially historic and ongoing peat extraction for horticulture fuel etc

an indication of the extent condition of the peat resource in your country About 2500 km2

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 56: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 56 of 66

Canada

Country Canada

Profession Ex-Government now private consultancy

Designated sites We have several internationally designated peatlands that re Ramsar sites plus many peatlnds protected as provincial territorial ENGO and federal areas such as parks wildlife mgmt areas and ecological reserves New Brunswick has specifically designated peatland areas as reserves

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry Yes

Soils No

Water management Yes

Energy Not sure likely No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

I do not have enough information to answer this question

Archaeology Yes

Funding Yes Canada has supported NSERC grants (federal govt support to natural sciences research) several times

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 57: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 57 of 66

and our energy dept has given grants to the resource users such as the peat moss industry Provincial agencies mainly are responsible for natural resources mgt and regulation Several provinces are engaged in funding various peatland initiatives

Cultural aspects The issue focuses on sustainability In our national and provincial govt views we are satisified the Canadian peat industry has established that its harvesting of about 200 metric tones of peat per year is in fact sustainable there is no net loss of theresource provincially or federally as this resource is naturally replacing itself (not on site but nationally of course) This is the same measure applied to other resource users such as the Forest products industry There is also significant industry investment in rseaearch on sphagnum moss restoration and site regeneration (which is working) The balance and cooperation between the interests of industry government regulators and researchers in our nation we believe is a model other nations should consider Cultural appreciation of peatlands is somewhat present in the music and lore of some provinces such as Newfoundland

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state This is in progress

Effectiveness comment

Comments The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and Forest Products Association of Canada have policies on peatlands resource use and site restoration The Governments of New Brunswick Saskatchewan Alberta Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have peatland programmes legislation and or policies

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 58: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 58 of 66

China

Country China

Profession Non-government organisation (NGO)

Designated sites Yes ndash National

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture No

Forestry No

Soils No

Water management No

Energy No

Minerals Yes

Climate change No

Game management No

Recreation No

Restoration

Land-use planning No

Coastal Management No

Peat trading No

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes

Not Adequate

Archaeology No

Funding No

Cultural aspects Yes

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 59: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 59 of 66

In China history of peat usage is long Because peatlands are full of resources such as land plants and peat resources the development and implementation of policies and guidelines for peat will inevitably be affected in a so crowded country China For instance in the new established national grade nature reserve Hani Peatland Northeast China it is estimated that at least 20 t for Vaccnium uligonosum berries 30 t for Lonicera caerulea var edulis berries and 20 t for Osmunda japonica plant were picked annually which created huge economic benefit to the residents around the peatland Therefore the future management policies of the peatland should be faced with how to resolve the conflict between residentsrsquo economic benefit and peatland conservation

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state Yes Ecosystem service assessment is complexed and its result even is overestimated In fact ecological function of peatlands are well known for most wetland ecologists and managers Without enough time and financial support wetland experts have to afford their suggestions simply to decision makers to decide which peatland should be protected and how to wise use peatlands

Effectiveness comment

Comments Some peatlands were protected as high grade nature reserves and generally they were protected efficiently Other peatlands as low grade nature reserves such as county- municipal- and even provincial-grade nature reserves and those not belong to nature reserves were disturbed or used in different means Jinchuan Peatland National grade nature reserve Hani Peatland National grade nature reserve Zhenbaodao Peatland National grade nature reserve Ruoergai Peatland National grade nature reserve International important wetland site Wuyiling Peatland National grade nature reserve

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 60: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 60 of 66

Norway

Country Norway

Profession Government or State (Statutory) organisation university

Designated sites

Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Soils

Water management

Energy

Minerals

Climate change

Game management

Recreation

Restoration

Land-use planning

Coastal Management

Peat trading

Guidelines and projects

for peat

No Certainly the common national laws and rules also regards peat and mires I donrsquot know laws or guidelines for use of peat in Norway but peatlandsmires are protected by the same laws as all other areas As mentioned earlier 287 mire nature reserves (6897 km2) are established in Norway (in 18 of 19 counties) during the county plans for mire nature reserves When the plan is finished more than 300 reserves will be included A larger mire area is protected in national parks and other types of protected areas In a few reserves we have restoration and management plans eg at Soslashlendet nature reserve the mires are yearly managed (scythed) in a traditional way

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 61: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 61 of 66

Adequate

Soslashlendet nature reserve mentioned

Archaeology

Funding No As mentioned above management plans exists for some nature reserves but peat management I donrsquot know

Cultural aspects Yes Mires have been used for grazing (by farm animals) hay-cutting and peat-cutting for hundreds of years Grazing and hay-cutting in fen areas for management is established in some nature reserves Peat-cutted areas are not taken care of

Ecosystem Services Has an ecosystem services assessment been undertaken in your country or state No Is an ecosystem service assessment going to be undertaken in your country or state No Have you considered an ecosystem assessment approach in your country or state As mentioned above some mire areas have an management plan so perhaps that is a sort of an ecosystem service assessment

Effectiveness comment

Comments We have very little knowledge of peat and mire resources in Norway the statistics go 80 years back Especially the situation in the lowlands (nemoral boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation regions) should be mapped And for the areas above the forest limit (in alpine areas) we have no mapping of mire areas and peat

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 62: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 62 of 66

United States of America

Country United States of America

Profession University

Designated sites Yes

Biodiversity Yes

Agriculture Yes

Forestry Yes

Soils Yes

Water management Yes

Energy Yes

Minerals Yes

Climate change Yes

Game management Yes

Recreation Yes

Restoration Yes

Land-use planning Yes

Coastal Management Yes

Peat trading Yes

Guidelines and projects

for peat

There are guidelines for all wetland types including peatlands

Archaeology Yes

Funding Management funds come from all venues ndash when there are funds Sometimes these are legislative

acquired on a year-by-year basis Others are funded by the permit process The arrangement depends

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 63: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 63 of 66

on the State

Cultural aspects History affects everything

Ecosystem Services Yes and no and they take a backseat to the development interests

Effectiveness comment The US is big country with lots of overlapping jurisdictions and many kinds of wetlands The various

State programs can be more strict than the Federal programs and are not homogenously implemented

So one could have a great protection law that is not enforced and a weak one that does more because

it is enforced

Comments There are policy instruments for all of these (sectors) The coastal zone management program is in most

states The section 404 of the Clean Water Act covers most wetland lsquodevelopmentrsquo proposals and is

under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency However the pro-development US Corps of

Engineers administers the program The EPA can veto their decisions but this becomes a political issue

and they rarely do it The US CoE is administered in local lsquoDistrictsrsquo which are clearly influenced by the

local politics Some are ok others are horrible Because of their administrative set-up they operate as

lsquofiefdoms of neglectrsquo somewhat independent of the National office Also wetlands in agricultural areas

are lsquograndfatheredrsquo OUT of the permit process

The NGOs have filled in the gap in some places one is below which has a decent website and has done

terrific work httpwwwaswmorgindex-althtm

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 64: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 64 of 66

Russian Federation

Country Russian Federation

Profession Integrated information from different sources - government and state (scientific) organisation Non-government organisation (NGO) Private - eg consultancy Interested individual

Designated sites Yes (equally among the other ecosystems types within protected areas of Federal local and international level)

Biodiversity Yes (in certain aspects)

Agriculture Yes (as one of the land use type)

Forestry Yes (in certain aspects)

Soils Yes (in certain aspects)

Water management Yes (as one of the water objects)

Energy Yes (as one of the fuel type)

Minerals Yes (as the fossil type)

Climate change No exact information

Game management Yes (as on of the land types)

Recreation NA

Restoration NA

Land-use planning Yes (in certain aspects)

Coastal Management NA

Peat trading Yes (in certain aspects)

Guidelines and projects

for peat

Yes in many sectors See the policies the same explanations are for guidelines Different sectors develop specific guidelines concerning peatlands depending on their specific goals and problems Normally legislation demands developed guidelines to undertake specific activities There are several guidelines developed by NGOs (Wetlands International) which are aimed integrative approach and not any sector ndash for example Guidelines for sociological studies in peatlands Guidelines for economic evaluation etchellip The quidelines are adequate taking in account traditional specifics natural and economic differences of large

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 65: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 65 of 66

country area and sectorial approach to peatlands Guidelines have been applied in all cases of peatlands management (peat extraction melioration conservation ndash all actions are undertaken on legal background and according specific guidelines)

Archaeology NA

Funding Every sector funds its peatland management activities depending on the region or economic interest The most difficult point is financing of the integrated approach The development of Russian Peatland Action Plan has been funded within the Global Peatland Initiative project The specific guidelines for different aspects of peatland wise use have been developed with funding of PINMatra

Cultural aspects The history of peatland traditional sectorial use is the purpose of the existing sectorial approach with well developed scientific background of peatlands management As a result traditionally there is no integrated approach to peatlands management peatland is not considered as a complex natural object Special sociological studies demonstrated that population and stakeholders have negative attitude to peatlands as natural objects peatlands do not motivate any positive action or emotions The periodic character of economic development lead to changes in the role of peatlands in the society and economy This could be interest to certain resource It also stimulates scientific knowledge

Ecosystem Services Yes (with a specific approach) The attempt have been undertaken and the examples exist of peatlands ecosystem assessment on different levels ndash federal subject federation local and some peatlands the assessment which is undertaken on the different level of integration

Effectiveness comment Adequate The policy is adequate to the existing situation in Russian Federation the large regional differences traditional sectorial approach and no integral view o n nature objects from land users

Comments For Russia it is typical the sectorial approach to the natural resources use including peatlands That is why in sectorial policies certain aspects of peatland use and conservation are always addressed The attempt of intersectorial approach have been undertaken in Russian Peatland Action plan ndash the frame document of Federal level developed by the wide range of stakeholders The only Federal Law where peatlands are addressed as a whole natural object is the Water Code

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)
Page 66: randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=SP0565_8927_FRA.pdf · Page 1 of 66 APPENDIX A4. Non-EU temperate/boreal countries: Questionnaire summary and country summary

Page 66 of 66

The sectorial polices are aimed peatland resources use or conservation The Frame Action plan is aimed the coordination which is the most complicated point both in the wise use and conservation That is the problem as fro the state so for the other stakeholders

  • 1 EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
  • 2 NON-EU EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
    • 21 Albania
    • 22 Armenia
    • 23 Azerbaijan
    • 24 Belarus
    • 25 Croatia
    • 26 Georgia
    • 27 Moldova
    • 28 Russia
    • 29 Serbia and Montenegro
    • 210 Ukraine
    • 211 Norway
    • 212 Switzerland
      • 3 NON-EUROPEAN PEAT ndash OVERVIEW
      • 4 CHINA
      • 5 CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
        • 51 Canada
        • 52 United States of America
          • 6 OTHER NON-EU TEMPERATE COUNTRIES
          • 7 CONCLUSIONS
            • Government Policy
              • Legislation (see attached legal presentations)

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=VM02130_4773... · Web viewAlthough there was inadequate information on the biotransformation of dimetridazole in the target

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13915_… · Web viewand informally-published retailer and trade association works, as well as academic/technical documents

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=11669_Hospitalityr…  · Web viewGeneral Enquiries on the form should be made to: Defra, Procurements and Commercial

1. Theoretical Framework - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=WR0302_7514_FRA.pdf · mi is the mass in phase i, ... Following Verruijt (1969) it may be assumed

Habits, Routines and Sustainable Lifestyles Summary Reportrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=Habits...Suggested citation for this report: Darnton, A, Verplanken, B, White, P

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Introduction - GOV.UKrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=CB01060_…  · Web viewExecutive summary 3 1.0 Introduction 7 1.1 legislation 7 1.2 Product selection, justification

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randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=11697_YBR0876... · Web viewInstead quality in foodservice is largely determined by ‘brand positioning’. Brand positioning

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=PS2209_3…  · Web viewDefra, Science Directorate, Management Support and Finance Team, Telephone No. 020 7238 1612 E-mail:

Appendix 6. Figures - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk › Document.aspx?Document=11448_APPENDIX6F… · Appendix 6. Figures Coefficient 0.29 0.46 0.63 0.80 0.98 ShaheenBasmati

Laminate Packaging Collection Trials Summary …randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13881_5.Appendix3...marketing / advertising. ... (Tesco has own brand moisturiser) ... The

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairsrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13260_COOLonPackagingfinal... · 4 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Aims and Objectives Defra’s

Mapping current innovation and ... - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=11161...food and drink industry required for sustainable economic growth Appendices

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=11986_Final... · Web viewIn 14 years, Vietnam’s aquaculture of Pangasius has risen from 40,000 tonnes of fillets in

Summary - Defra, UK - Science Searchrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13596_Appendix... · Web viewWe also use an example case study to illustrate and describe connectivity

SID 5 Research Project Final Report - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=C3686_WSO_SID5_Fin… · Telephone No. 0207 238 5734 E-mail: ... of Information Act

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=BD1324_5933... · Web viewFigure 4.2 How predator searching is incorporated into the model. The black circle shows the

A carbon based modelling approach - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=11918_WR1910Energyrecovery... · 1 1. Summary 1. This analysis set out to identify

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=WR0121_8315_FRA.pdf · Quality control sheet RF 506 Report prepared for: Waste and Resources Evidence Programme Department

Executive Summary - GOV.UKsciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=14194... · Web viewA database search string (see Appendix 1) was created following a number of iterations

Report No 20 Task 2F: Oceanic thermal fronts from Earthrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=MB0102_9104_TRP.pdf · Executive Summary . The UK is committed to the establishment

Executive Summary - Defra, UK - Science Searchrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=12365_CB0304... · Web viewIf the fit of a Poisson model is poor, power calculations based

Annex 1 - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13445_PE... · incentives and each resulting in potentially very different outcomes. This research seeks to scope,

Defining and Identifying Environmental Limits for ...sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=NR0102_407… · Executive Summary iv Part I Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Context

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=10130_DEFRA... · Web viewMahesh Kumar, President, Coir Pith Association and Managing Director, Sunco Exporters Pvt., Ltd,

UNDERSTANDING HONEY BEE - GOV.UKrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13360_PH0512... · Understanding Honey Bee Health Stakeholders 2 Executive Summary A key aim of the Defra

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/...FA0121ChickenBreastfinalamendr… · Web viewrandd.defra.gov.uk

Evidence Project Final Report - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=12970_SE0786evid4fin… · EVID4 Evidence Project Final Report ... throughout the world

Health Questionnaire - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=VM0299_2…  · Web viewThese are the groups and subgroups as in Chapter 4, i.e. Neuropathy (13

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=PS2237.…  · Web viewFive data sources were found that contained details on the size of front and rear gardens, and

Research and Development_ - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=OD033… · Web viewResearch and Development. Final Project Report (Not to be used for LINK

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Evidence Project Final Report - randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=13361_evid4_PH0440… · insecticide-degrading enzymes indicates that these oils may be

randd.defra.gov.ukrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=EV02001_4021... · Web viewFigure 4.3 - MFA methodologies in relation to policy demands on different level 54 Figure 4.4