Ecological restoration in drained peatlands – best practices from Finland

A new comprehensive handbook for the restoration of drained peatlands was published in Finnish in July 2013 (Aapala et al. 2013). The handbook was produced with the help of dozens of Finnish peatland experts. It compiles the knowhow accumulated over more than 25 years of peatland habitat restoration in Finland, together with useful background ecological information on peat and the hydrology of peatlands.

The handbook was primarily written on the basis of experiences gained from restoring peatland sites in protected areas. Our aim is to increase awareness of the ecological bases for peatland habitat restoration, and thereby promote effective peatland restoration work both inside protected areas and in areas where commercially forestry is practised. The handbook is intended for everyone involved in the planning and implementation of active restoration measures in peatlands that have been drained to promote forestry.

The production of the handbook was coordinated by the Finnish Expert Group for Peatland Restoration (SuoELO*) in connection with the Boreal Peatland LIFE project and the Forest Biodiversity Programme METSO, with funding from the Ministry of the Environment.

This abridged English-language version of the guidebook summarises the most important contents of the full Finnish version. The publication of the English version was financed through the Boreal Peatland LIFE project.