The Peatland Breakthrough Launches Science-Based Global Targets and Opens Call to Join
As the world gathers in Belém for COP30, governments, scientists, entrepreneurs and civil society united for an unprecedented global push to protect one of the planet’s most powerful natural climate allies: Peatlands. On 17 November, the Peatland Breakthrough launched the Science-Based Framework for Global Peatland Targets and Guiding Principles, and formally opened the endorsement process for new partners. Germany has officially joined the Peatland Breakthrough as a Champion Country, alongside Peru, which became the first Country Champion during the Convention on Wetlands COP15, and Uganda— further reinforcing global momentum for peatland protection.
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.
The Peatland Breakthrough is a collaborative effort to accelerate and 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.
“If we are serious about meeting our climate and biodiversity goals, peatlands must move from the margins to the centre of policy and finance. The Peatland Breakthrough is our opportunity to align ambition with implementation by embedding peatland protection and restoration into national climate plans, creating enabling policies, and unlocking investment at scale. With the decisive leadership we saw at COP30, we are one step closer to realising the potential of peatlands for climate and people.” — Coenraad Krijger, CEO, Wetlands International.
The Peatland Breakthrough: A Global Call to Unlock the Power of Peatlands
At the evening’s official COP30 side event, partners presented the Science-Based Framework for Global Peatland Targets and Guiding Principles. This milestone event, moderated by Amy Duchelle (FAO) and Faizal Parish (Global Environment Centre), highlighted the growing coalition of Champion Countries and partners, showcasing the willingness and momentum to mobilise knowledge, policy and finance for transformative peatland action. Two interactive roundtables were a platform to encourage high-level dialogue and concrete collaboration.
Speakers included Manuel Pulgar Vidal (Champion of the CBD Action Agenda), Coenraad Krijger (Wetlands International), and Franziska Tanneberger (Greifswald Mire Centre), alongside senior government representatives from Germany (Jochen Flasbarth), Indonesia (Prof. Haruni Krisnawati), Uganda (Dr. Alfred Okot Okidi), Peru (Romina Caminada), Zimbabwe (Ambassador Tadeous Chifamba, acting on behalf of Dr. Evelyn Ndlovu) in their capacity as Convention of Wetlands (Ramsar) COP 15 Presidency, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in their capacity as UNCCD COP16 Presidency (Dr. Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha).
“In Germany we drained 95% of our peatlands, and today we see the consequences. Peatlands now account for 7.5% of our national greenhouse-gas emissions, which makes restoring them one of our biggest challenges — and essential to reach our 2045 net-zero target. Rewetting is the way to stop emissions from drained peatlands, and in the future rewetted areas may even contribute to negative emissions. This is why Germany is investing billions in rewetting and why we are working closely with partners around the world, from Eastern Africa to Patagonia, to accelerate peatland restoration.” — Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Germany)
Non-state actors contributed perspectives from Indigenous leadership (Shaq Koyok), global industry, investment institutions and environmental foundations, including Diageo (Michael Alexander), the European Investment Bank (Eva Mayerhofer) and the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU) (Alexander Bonde), and Bezos Earth Foundation (Cristian Samper).
The Peatland Breakthrough: From Evidence to Action
In the early afternoon, the Nature Hub Pavilion hosted The Peatland Breakthrough: From Evidence to Action, moderated by Clare Shakya (The Nature Conservancy). Drawing on the Global Peatlands Assessment and Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas, speakers underscored the urgent need for coordinated global action. The session presented the Peatland Breakthrough’s vision for scaling peatland action worldwide and highlighted wise use solutions such as paludiculture that deliver wide-ranging benefits for climate, biodiversity, and water resilience. The discussion also demonstrated how carbon markets can help finance peatland restoration, while acknowledging the challenges that must be addressed to ensure integrity, equity, and long-term impact.
Experts including Franziska Tanneberger (Greifswald Mire Centre), Cinthia Soto (Wetlands International), Moritz von Unger (Silvestrum Climate Associates), and Faizal Parish (Global Environment Centre) highlighted practical solutions such as paludiculture and carbon credits for peatland restoration, emphasizing the importance of enabling policy and finance to unlock sustainable peatland management at scale. The session reinforced the central message: the science is clear, and action cannot wait.
“Bringing peatlands to COP30 in Belém could not be more timely,” said Franziska Tanneberger, Director of the Greifswald Mire Centre. “With the Global Peatlands Assessment and the Global Peatland Hotspot launched at previous climate COPs, the science is crystal clear. And now we are in Brazil — the tropical country with the largest peatland area. It’s the perfect place to present the Peatland Breakthrough under the COP30 Action Agenda”.
About the Peatland Breakthrough
The Peatland Breakthrough is a global call to action led by Wetlands International, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Greifswald Mire Centre, developed in close alignment with the Global Peatlands Initiative, and in collaboration with the Convention on Wetlands. The growing list of partners include: Global Environment Centre, Landscape Finance Lab, RE-PEAT, and The Nature Conservancy.
The Peatland Breakthrough charts a clear path forward through three global targets:
- Halt the anthropogenic loss of undrained peatlands by 2030.
- By 2030, at least 30 million hectares of peatlands are being rewetted and restored.
- By 2030, enabling conditions for sustainable, wise use are developed, and by 2050, it is implemented on all peatland.
Achieving these targets would allow global peatlands to reach net-zero emissions and even become a net greenhouse-gas sink, helping support climate-resilient pathways. To meet the Global Peatland Targets and deliver on global climate 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.
A great first step was taken by Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker, Lagavulin and The Singleton, who announced an investment of up to £5 million over five years, to help restore up to 3,000 hectares of degraded peatland across Scotland.
Monday’s event set the stage for the official global launch of the Peatland Breakthrough in Spring 2026. Partners are calling on governments, organisations, and non-state actors to join this growing coalition and help unlock the full potential of peatlands as a climate, nature and community solution.
If your country or organization would like to know more about the endorsement process, please contact us at: endorse-peatland-breakthrough@googlegroups.com.
For more information, contact: info-peatland-breakthrough@googlegroups.com
Further Information:
Germany joins the Peatland Breakthrough as a Champion Country
Science-based Framework for Global Peatland Targets & Guiding Principles