The reason for the central role of peatlands in climate protection is that they are particularly effective in removing CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere and binding it. One figure makes this clear: Globally, peatlands store between 26 and 44 percent of all landbound carbon. That is twice as many as all forests combined — and that on just a fifth of the area. The rewetting of former bogs or even their expansion as part of climate protection measures are therefore increasingly being considered.

Our EPEA colleague Julius Oldehaver is currently collecting donations for a moor extension in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. To do so, he embarks on an extraordinary bike trip. His goal: 5,500 euros should be raised if he manages to reach the Norwegian Lofoten Islands from Hamburg within two months. It's not supposed to go directly north with its bike. Instead, the route takes him around the Baltic Sea via Poland, the Baltic States, Finland and Sweden.

Background: The purchase of land for the moor near Dänschenburg costs around one euro per square meter. It involves a total of around 0.55 hectares, which are connected to the large moor there. The area is a high moor, which will be protected by further areas. That means: It is about a specific protection project on our doorstep!

It is impossible to say how much CO2 savings actually result from this without site-specific studies, because every moor is unique. A conservative estimate is that 5.5 tons of CO2 are bound annually.

At this link Can you support the project with a donation? All information and the course of the trip can be found at Julius' blog view.