– This is an extremely important step forward, says Marcus Carson, researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute.

He is one of the authors of a new report on the ecological role of wetlands, which was presented at the Arctic Council’s ministerial meeting at the end of last week. That the council was later able to agree on measures that have such a clear connection to the climate issue is something of a breakthrough, he explains.

– There has long been a hesitation in some of the member states to take climate change seriously. But things changed dramatically when the United States got a new president who actually prioritizes the climate issue, says Marcus Carson.

Cooling effect

About half of the world’s wetlands are located in Arctic regions. For thousands of years, they have had a cooling effect on the climate by storing large amounts of organic carbon, which would otherwise contribute to the greenhouse effect. But now more and more wetlands have instead started to emit greenhouse gases.

This is partly due to the fact that the permafrost is thawing due to global warming. But in many cases, the main reason is that large wetlands have been drained for, for example, forestry, agriculture, peat mining and roads. In Russia, Canada and the United States, oil and gas extraction also play a major role.

– If you leave the wetlands alone, they will continue to store carbon and help cool the climate. But we humans disturb them, so that they go from being a carbon dioxide trap to instead emitting greenhouse gases and warming the climate, says Gustaf Hugelius, natural geographer at Stockholm University, who has also participated in the work of producing the new report.

Fill the ditches

The effect is great. In Sweden alone, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s calculations, approximately ten million tonnes of carbon dioxide are leaked per year from drained wetlands, which is about as much as from the entire country’s passenger car traffic.

But by restoring the drained and damaged wetlands with relatively simple measures, emissions can be reduced, the researchers write in the report.

– In Scandinavia, it is mainly a matter of filling in the ditches, so that the water level in the landscape is raised and the wetland recovers. It’s comparatively simple. But restoring after oil drilling can be more difficult, as the ground layer is often more damaged, says Marcus Carson.

Reduced fire risk

In addition to reduced climate emissions, restored wetlands provide a number of other so-called ecosystem services. For example, the risk of large forest fires decreases when the water balance improves, at the same time as the soil’s ability to handle floods increases. In addition, biodiversity is strengthened, as wetlands are an important habitat for a large number of species.

Following the presentation of the report at the ministerial meeting, the eight member states of the Arctic Council agreed on a letter stating that they “welcome the new research report”; that “wetlands and boreal forests play an important role in biodiversity and climate change” and that they “encourage the implementation of the recommendations” highlighted in the report.

– It may not sound so strange, but in diplomatic language it is very strong and clear formulations. It gives a mandate to the working groups to start organizing the work, says Marcus Carson.

“Real goal conflicts”

The big challenge is not the practical work itself, emphasizes both Marcus Carson and Gustaf Hugelius, without resolving all the goal conflicts that arise if land use is to change. In some cases, these are lands where there is no longer any forestry, for example. But in many cases, a restoration will clash with the landowners’ plans to continue using the land.

– It is not realistic to restore all drained wetlands. But forests on drained wetlands are often less productive, so if you take a holistic approach to all ecosystem services, such as the reduced risk of fires, you can probably see the benefit of restoring them. But it is not possible to deny that there are real goal conflicts, says Gustaf Hugelius.