Excursions
We invite you to participate in one of the many great excursions at the RRR2025 conference. Destinations will include rewetted peatland sites and examples of paludiculture or biomass processing in northern Germany.
Excursion 1:
Peatland research on Typha paludiculture, fen meadows near Neukalen, and a local stakeholder dialogue in a peatland restaurant
Whole day trip
Highlights: Managed Typha paludiculture on 10 ha site with up to 5 m of peat layer, surrounded by grassland dominated by reed canary grass, partly grazed by suckler cows and mown for winter fodder. The fen meadows “Neukalener Seewiesen” (ca. 400 ha) have been drained for agricultural use,nowadays a re-wetted peatland with sedge-meadows dominating. The "Moorbauer" is a riverside excursion restaurant situated in the middle of the peatland and accessible only by pedal boat swan, used to engage in conversations with regional and local stakeholders: https://moorbauer.com/
Excursion 2:
Peatland research on mown and grazed rewetted peatland on the Darß peninsula (Baltic Sea), river valleys of Recknitz and Trebel
Whole day trip
Highlights: grazing sites with water buffalos on the Darß peninsula. Influence of buffalo grazing on coastal peatlands. First harbingers of migrating cranes. Management of near natural sites for conservation with site-adapted, biodiversity promoting mowing in the lower Recknitz river valley. Study sites of a former (WETSCAPES) and a new research project (WETSCAPES2.0) on matter dynamics in rewetted peatlands in the Trebel river valley. The sites were rewetted >20 years ago in an EU LIFE project with a generally positive development regarding vegetation development as well as ecosystem functioning. We will also discuss results of WETSCAPES that showed that paludiculture use might be beneficial for the GHG balance of rewetted peatlands.
Excursion 3:
Peatland research and nature conservation near Anklam (near Island of Usedom), establishing a new reed stand, rewetting for breeding birds
Whole day trip
Highlights: Lower Peene river valley near Anklam with large rewetted sites; long-term project “peatland pilot” with 480 ha former grassland currently in rewetting process; establishment of new reed stand on 40 ha, broad monitoring activities, such as for mosquitos, biodiversity and GHG emissions; project sites of LIFE “LIMICODRA” with high water levels for the protection of meadow birds
Excursion 4:
Karrendorfer Wiesen - restoration of a coastal flood peatland near Greifswald
Half day trip
Highlights: Created by grazing and seasonal flooding – a coastal flood peatland with anthropo-zoogenic salt meadows; rare variation of the fen type in their natural form, where natural flooding dynamics still occur, exists in only a few locations along the Bodden coast in NE Germany.
Excursion 5:
Cultivation methods and diverse research on Sphagnum paludiculture on rewetted bogs in Lower Saxony/ NW Germany
Whole day trip (this excursion involves a 5 hrs bus trip to and from the sites in Lower Saxony and will therefore start and end later than the other excursions).
Highlights: Two Sphagnum paludiculture sites on former bog grassland (~20 and 10 ha) with sub-areas at different stages of development (installed in 2024/25, 2020 or 2016) and experiments on best practice, top soil removal depth, water management (different ditch distances, subsurface irrigation), regeneration after harvest, a small scale field trial on the selection of productive provenances of 12 potential Sphagnum paludiculture species and field test of axenic in vitro-cultivated Sphagnum clones; sundew cultivation. Investigations on GHG, water quality and demand, biodiversity etc.
Excursion 6:
Coastal flood peatlands, extensive grazing, traditional winter harvest of reed stands for thatching on the Island of Rügen (Baltic Sea)
Half day trip
Highlights: Coastal flood peatland on the Island of Rügen, 95 ha rewetted since 2020 by relocating a 1.5 km long dyke, one of the few salt meadows along the coast of the Baltic Sea, being part of the 30 most important biodiversity hotspots in Germany; reed stands harvested since centuries for roof thatching as typical elements along the coast, learn about the traditional knowledge and skills of thatching which are recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in Germany.
Excursion 7:
Photovoltaic power plant on a rewetted peatland in Lottorf/Schleswig-Holstein
Whole day trip (this excursion involves a 4 hrs bus trip to and from the site in Schleswig-Holstein and will therefore start and end later than the other excursions).
Highlights: ca. 30 ha pholtovoltaics with an installed capacity of 17 MWp on a rewetted peatland previously used as grassland, continued agricultural use by regularly mowing, research on the impacts of PV systems on rewetted peatlands, focusing on biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic viability.
