Experts draft restoration strategies for former peat bogs in Latvia
Experts in Latvia are developing revitalisation strategies for almost 1,000 hectares of former peat extraction bogs. Based on these assessments, landowners will be able to decide how to use the sites and apply for European Union support.
Experts in Latvia are currently drawing up revitalisation strategies for former peat extraction sites. The areas concerned cover almost 1,000 hectares of bogs where peat harvesting has ended. The strategies are meant to answer how these territories should be restored and what they should be used for in future. Such documents matter to landowners as well as to the environmental and agricultural sectors.
Options under consideration
The experts are weighing several possible directions. In some places a bog could be used to grow large-fruited cranberries, elsewhere it could be forested or turned into bodies of water. Another option is to let nature repair the extracted area itself, with only a little human assistance.
What it means for owners
Once they receive the experts' assessment, bog owners will be able to decide how the territory will be used going forward. The assessment will also allow them to seek financial support from the European Union, the 27-nation bloc whose funds can be used for environmental and economic projects, to put the bog in order.
The source gives no details on when the strategies will be completed, which bogs are included, or how large the EU support could be. For now the experts are still working out which restoration route would suit each site best.
