Open Lab 3
The Netherlands
Location:
Boonspolder & Weesloot - De Kampen, Weerribben, The Netherlands
Type of ecosystem:
Floating peatland forest & floating sphagnum reed land
Size:
Restoration area ~65 ha
OL Coordinator (organisation and country):
Wageningen University & Research: Earth Systems and Global Change group & Wageningen Environmental Research, The Netherlands
De Weerribben:
A Landscape Shaped
by Human Intervention
De Weerribben is not a “natural” landscape in the strict sense; it is the result of peat extraction, agriculture, and reed harvesting during hundreds of years. Since the 14th century, peat digging created a distinctive pattern of narrow canals (“weers”) separated by strips of land (“ribs”).
From the mid-20th century, reed cutting became the dominant activity on the terrestrialised weers, supporting local livelihoods. However, as some areas were abandoned, natural succession took over, leading to the gradual encroachment of forests into former open wetlands.
From Degradation
to Restoration Hotspot
Restoration efforts began as early as the 1930s, when land reclamation, drainage and eutrophication were threatening the peatland, making this one of Europe’s long-standing examples of peatland recovery. The site includes a range of successful management practices. A recent measure comprises tree removal to restore open fen habitats and its biodiversity. Other parts are left unmanaged, allowing natural forest encroachment. Besides its benefits for forest species, it enhances carbon storage. Today, the area is recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, hosting rare mosses, vascular plants, dragonflies, butterflies, and bird species.
The ForPeat
Site
Within ForPeat, two sites are studied: one with an 80-year-old naturally developed floating forest rich in sphagnum and sedges, and another where the forest has been cleared to restore open sphagnum reed land.
Here, researchers investigate the trade-offs between nature/biodiversity conservation and greenhouse gas mitigation (minimising CO2 and CH4 emissions), as well as the role of the area in water and nature management.
Research
Activities
A wide range of monitoring activities supports this work, including greenhouse gas flux measurements, hydrological and soil analysis, and biodiversity assessments such as vegetation surveys, insect monitoring, and automated bird acoustic recording.
The goal is to assess how interventions like forest removal influence greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity, while supporting the co-creation of future management strategies with local stakeholders, including land managers, reed cutters, public authorities, and the tourism sector.
Research Team
Open Lab #3 is coordinated by the Wageningen University and Wageningen Environmental Research. The work is led by:
