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Peatlands can be found across all five continents, especially in the Northern hemisphere and in Southeast Asia. Many of them are in pristine or near-natural condition, but they are also increasingly degraded and often misunderstood. Peatlands are extremely important for our climate and biodiversity. In many regions, they also play an important role for society and the economy. Drained peatlands are widely used for agriculture (7%), forestry (4%) and many other purposes. Of all the peatland areas, 0.1% are used for peat extraction, and 0.05% for growing media. The tropical...

The 16th International Peatland Congress was held virtually, hosted by the Estonian National Committee of the IPS in May 2021, with over 185 oral and 75 poster presentations. International Peatland Congresses (IPC) are the main forum for IPS members and other peatland specialists to meet and exchange information. They are held every four years and attended by young, mid-career and experienced scientists, as well as students of biology, geology, horticulture, forestry, agriculture, history and many other subjects, around 700-800 persons. Click on the links below to watch the original presentations...

Welcome to the IPS networking event on 5 November! Peatland Partnerships in Climate Change Mitigation and Nature Recovery Location: Peatland Pavilion, blue zone Time: 11:30 - 13:00 hrs GMT (UTC+0) Register here (closed right now): https://globalpeatlands.online/PeatlandPavilionCOP26Registration Virtual pavilion tour: https://storage.net-fs.com/hosting/6147066/7/ (recorded sessions will be added to dome 6 soon) The event can also be watched afterwards, if you have registered above and go back to Friday in your agenda. PROGRAMME Chair of Session: Jack Rieley, Chair of Scientific Advisory Board, 2nd Vice President Welcome by Dr Alue Dohong, Deputy Minister...

The IPS Executive Board confirmed at their meeting on 23 February that all activities of the Society with members, stakeholders and others will be maintained. It also agreed on a team and timetable to fill the position of Secretary General. As interim measure Diplom-Kaufmann (FH) Susann Warnecke was appointed Acting Secretary General as of 1 March, in addition to her current tasks. We look forward to continue cooperation with you! #peatland #peat #togetherwearestronger. For more information on the Secretariat, visit www.peatlands.org/secretariat.

Press release 22 February 2021 In light of on-going developments with COVID-19 and after thoughtful discussions, the IPC2021 organizing committee has decided to move our 16th International Peatland Congress to an entirely online format. The official dates for the IPC2021 online congress are Monday, 3 May - Thursday, 6 May. We believe this is the safest approach for the well-being of our global audience. The virtual congress will include plenary keynote sessions, scientific sessions, plenary PEAT Talks session, full-day Industry Summit programme, as well as spaces in which to connect...

As of 26 February, current Secretary General Gilbert Ludwig will head for new challenges. We warmly thank him for all efforts for the Society and wish him success in his new tasks! IPS' Presidents met on 16 February, and the Executive Board will meet on the 23rd to decide on future recruitment for the position. The work of the organisation continues normally and we will keep you updated on developments. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat via susann.warnecke (at) peatlands.org, the IPS President at...

IPS Launches Art Competition for World Wetlands Day Raised bogs, fens, tropical peat swamp forest, cutover areas, birds, mosses, great apes, people, tools, nature, fresh air, water, and machinery. We all know peatlands, but have you seen them through the lens of art? As physical meetings are not possible right now, we are organising an art competition for World Wetlands Day, which is celebrated on 2 February 2021! You can draw, paint, glue or pencil your favourite mire landscape, animal, plant, tractor, garden, bog monster or anything else related to...

As we say goodbye to 2020, to what has been an incredibly and unpredictably challenging year in many ways for many people, it is important to sift through the muddy (swamp) waters for positive news. For peatlands, the last 12 months have provided many sources of hope. Various happenings have brought the societal relevance of peatlands further into the public eye, and shone light on some of the great work of peatland scientists and practitioners across the world. Here are a few highlights (hopefully you also know of many more!)....

When President Habibie of Indonesia in 1999 closed down,  as a complete failure, the Mega Rice Project (MRP) in Central Kalimantan, that was established by his predecessor Suharto three years earlier, I thought that strong lessons had been learned, and this would be the end of attempts to develop the vast areas of peatland in that country. How wrong I was and, in the twenty years since then, we have seen major conversions on thick peat in Kalimantan and Sumatra to plantations of oil palm and paper pulp trees, occupying...

The re-established IPS Expert Group (EG) on Peatlands and Agriculture has started its work. Two priority actions identified by coordinator Jos Schouwenaars are: 1) Obtaining a view on the most relevant and urgent topics in agricultural peatland use, and 2) getting in touch with more IPS members, who potentially could contribute significantly to the activities of the EG. What did we conclude from a first global orientation? It was very interesting to notice that a lot of work is being done at the moment on cost-benefit analyses for peatland use,...