The Peatland Breakthrough

Peatlands Matter

Peatlands are unique and rare ecosystems that, despite only covering around 3-4% of the planet’s land surface, contain up to one-third of the world’s soil carbon - twice the amount of carbon as in the world’s forest biomass. However, peatlands are being drained and degraded, contributing to 4-5% of annual global human-induced emissions, equivalent to the combined emissions from the aviation and shipping industry. Keeping this carbon locked away is absolutely critical to achieving the Paris Agreement. 

That’s why we must act now; to stop the loss of peatland, and restore degraded peatland - safeguarding them as vital ecosystems for the climate, biodiversity, water and nutrient regulation, and sustainable livelihoods. By 2050, the global peatland area should reach net zero emissions and preferably be a net greenhouse gas sink, sustaining resilient ecosystems and communities.

What is the Peatland Breakthrough?

The Peatland Breakthrough is a collaborative effort to mobilize action to conserve, rewet and restore, and enable the sustainable, wise use of the world’s peatlands in ways that maintain their essential functions to support climate goals, water security, biodiversity, and people’s livelihoods.

The Peatland Breakthrough, a 2030 Climate Solution under the Marrakech Partnership, aims to accelerate finance, knowledge and partnerships to enable large-scale action around the world. This is an urgent call to act on shared, science-based global targets through coordinated action. Effective peatland stewardship requires not only technical solutions, but also shared values, strong partnerships, and long-term commitments. The breakthrough provides a common platform to align investments and strategies, accelerate progress, and create lasting impact.

The Peatland Breakthrough guides collective ambition and action towards three core targets: 

1. Halt the anthropogenic loss of undrained peatlands by 2030.
2. By 2030, at least 30 million hectares of peatlands are being rewetted and restored.
3. By 2030, enabling conditions for sustainable, wise use are developed, and by 2050, it is implemented on all peatland. 

To catalyse transformative changes, actions should safeguard peatlands and biodiversity, be grounded in science and practice-driven innovations, foster shared responsibility and governance, adopt a landscape approach, and commit to long-term sustainability. All actions must advance equity and inclusion, particularly for Indigenous Peoples, local communities, farmers, women, youth, and other vulnerable groups. 

Who is involved?

The Peatland Breakthrough is led by Wetlands International, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Greifswald Mire Centre, developed in close alignment with the Global Peatlands Initiative, and in collaboration with the Convention on Wetlands.

Our growing list of partners includes: Landscape Finance Lab, the Global Environment Centre, RE-PEAT, and The Nature Conservancy.

Call-to-Action

To meet the Global Peatland Targets, we need to mobilize at least 100 billion USD by 2030 in just, transparent and accessible finance for peatlands, and for every peatland country to act now to map, monitor and manage them before they’re irreversibly damaged. 

Join the Peatland Breakthrough to act now for peatlands as nature’s Climate Champions.