Nitrogen pollution and climate change reduce carbon storage and biodiversity of peatlands

A “win-win” between biodiversity-conservation and climate-change-combat is illustrated by the "Nitrogen pollution and climate change reduce carbon storage and biodiversity of peatlands" policy brief. It focuses on the farless recognized and 'unseen' threats to peatlands: air pollution, and changes in precipitation, temperature and nutrients. It is based on the research results of the BiodivERsA-funded PEATBOG project which investigated the impacts of nitrogen pollution and climate change on the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of peatlands across Europe. The results suggest that elevated reactive nitrogen deposition can change the functioning and biodiversity of peatlands, and increase their sensitivity to climate change. Furthermore, warming and drought of nitrogen-enriched peatlands seem to threaten their longterm carbon storage capacity and release stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. This new knowledge highlights policy measures and actions that can help better migitate climate change (cf. the recent WMO report) and conserve peatlands and their biodiversity in Europe.

Frédéric Lemaître

BiodivERsA Science-society and science-policy interfacing

E-mail: frederic.lemaitre@fondationbiodiversite.fr