info@forpeat.eu
Open Lab 3
The Netherlands
Location:
Boonpolder & De Weesloot, Weerribben, The Netherlands
Type of ecosystem:
Fen alder carr & fen reedland
Size:
Restoration area ~65 ha
OL Coordinator (organisation and country):
Wageningen University’s Department of Environmental Sciences & 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 10th 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, 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, making this one of Europe’s long-standing examples of peatland recovery. The site includes a range of existing management practices. These include tree removal to restore open fen habitats for biodiversity, maintenance of floating forest cover as a form of passive restoration, and allowing natural forest encroachment to enhance 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 removed to restore the open fen reedland landscape and its associated flora and fauna.
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 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 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:
