Rewetting floodplain

Challenges: Flanders has lost ~75% of its wetland habitat with only ~68,000 ha remaining, of which 6,000 ha are peat soils. A heavily degraded site with 2-8 m peat deposits in a stream valley drained for agriculture has been restored to preserve the large carbon store.

Solutions: Restoration methods include rewetting via ditch elimination, tree removal, water quality has been monitored, but greenhouse (GHG) fluxes have not been monitored. Intact fen systems will serve as references.

Outcomes: Comparison of GHG fluxes and carbon stocks of intact, rewetted, and drained systems will give the first estimate of avoided greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and long-term carbon sequestration potential of rewetted floodplain.