The PaluWise project is dedicated to the sustainable use of rewetted degraded peatland ecosystems and is funding work on trials in four locations across Europe, including at the newest addition to the Great Fen, Speechly’s Farm, managed by the Wildlife Trust.
The trial plots at Speechly’s Farm will continue work at the Great Fen to grow crops including bulrush. Wet farming – or paludiculture – is a model of growing which does not involve draining the land. This helps lock carbon in the peat soil and creates a habitat for wetland species like wading birds, water voles and dragonflies.
Coordinated by Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the PaluWise consortium brings together 18 partners from eight European countries, each contributing to the paludiculture value chains. The project will run for four and a half years, and it has been granted approximately €10 million in Horizon Europe funding.
“Paludiculture has the potential to support the EU’s climate targets and biodiversity strategy while providing farmers and landowners with an income, but only if the practice is scaled up,” comments PaluWise coordinator Päivi Merilä from Luke.
"The aim of this project is to establish paludiculture as a meaningful and widely recognised farming system in Europe.”
Great Fen project manager Lorna Parker said: “A key ambition of the Great Fen vision is to change the way society thinks about peat landscapes, and learn new ways to protect it. So it’s fantastic to be a part of a consortium looking to promote wet farming across national borders.
“We believe that nature, farming and communities can all benefit from the restoration of peatlands, and we’re excited to be helping find new solutions to the challenge of growing crops in low lying areas while locking in carbon and protecting wildlife. Thank you to PaluWise for their support and we hope to make the Fens proud as a showcase for wet farming across Europe.”
The funding will pay for staff and equipment to support the wet farming trials at Speechly’s as well as promoting the results to stakeholders.
Speechly’s Farm was purchased by the Wildlife Trust with support from donors and the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Peatland Progress project which includes paludiculture trials, wetland restoration and community engagement.
As well as the UK, the PaluWise project is working closely with local stakeholders to advance field-scale paludiculture through four demonstration sites located in Finland, Poland, and the Netherlands.