OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT:

• Physical restoration of the landscape, raising water levels in drained bogs and fens, and restoring lake edges to improve their water quality. This will halt the release of CO2 that occurs on drained peatlands, and restore the capacity of the land to act as a buffer to floods and droughts. Improving water quality will improve the recreational value of the waterways and support tourism by reducing incidents of toxic algal blooms. 
• Demonstrating sustainable use of the land, through piloting agricultural products that can be grown on wet land (known as Paludiculture), and showing that there is a viable economic alternative to draining land for agriculture. 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

The Creating A New Approach to Peatland Ecosystems (CANAPE) project is a 5.5 million euro project working in 5 countries to restore and preserve wetlands, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to support the creation of a sustainable economy for the population of the North Sea Region.
Our initial ambition is to support the restoration of 95 hectares of peatland, and support the restoration of 3 peatland lakes. This will bring about substantial benefits for local people, and help prevent climate change. The project will showcase restoration and management methods, and create new business opportunities.