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Smoke on water: countering global threats from peatland loss & degradation

At the side event Good Peatland Governance to Strengthen Economic, Social and Ecosystem Resilience at the UNFCCC COP23 in Bonn, Germany, the Global Peatlands Initiative under the leadership of UN Environment will release its rapid response assessment Smoke on Water – countering global threats from peatland loss and degradation. Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment, H.E. Amy Ambatobe Nyongolo, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Democratic Republic of Congo, H.E. Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister of Tourism and Environment, Republic of Congo and H.E. Dr. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia will attend the launch. The report aims to close the knowledge gap and enable action on protecting one of the most crucial and the probably least appreciated ecosystems: peatlands. Peatlands, which can be found in more than 180 countries, are, in addition to supporting a wide range of biodiversity as well as the livelihoods of millions of people, a giant carbon store. But when drained or burning, peatlands release greenhouse gas emissions that account for five percent of the global carbon budget.

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