Spatial potential for paludicultures to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: an analytic tool

Following the recent international agreements on climate action, there is an urgent need to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Wet cultivation of peatlands (paludiculture) can combine low GHG emissions with productive use of the land, but methods for identifying suitable areas at regional and local scales are lacking. In this study we present a spatial assessment tool for two paludiculture species, namely Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia. This tool is built in a Geographic Information System (GIS) and is designed to perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cultivation potential of land that is currently used for agriculture or peat extraction, within a defined geographical area. It uses a graded assessment process with a plot based analysis. A case study application shows that the tool can deliver first estimates of the potential cultivation area, but further research is needed to enhance its flexibility and scope of application. In its present form it may be used as a decision support instrument for specific sites.