Side event details

The Global Peatlands Assessment (GPA), a Global Peatlands Initiative flagship product, will be launched. It will answer questions on peatland distribution, trends, and pressures, to understand the current status of global peatlands. It will close the knowledge gaps and, compile relevant data and best available science for strategic decision-making to mobilize stakeholders’ engagement and influence policy for the conservation, and restoration and sustainable management of peatlands. An updated Global Peatlands Map will also be launched, supported by hotspot maps and global case studies of best practices . With more than 200 authors involved, the GPA marks the beginning of a collaboration between world renown peatlands experts in all disciplines to update, establish, and jointly communicate the current status and value of peatlands – outlining hot spots for urgent action, flagging gaps in knowledge for further research and including emerging opportunities to restore and protect them. The close involvement of the Ramsar Secretariat in the GPA shows the work with UNEP towards a future Global Peatlands Inventory, as requested in 2019 by all member states in the UNEA-4 Resolution on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands.

Objectives:

1. Officially launch the Global Peatlands Assessment (GPA), together with the updated Global Peatlands Map.
2. Showcase the Global Peatland Map in detail, explaining its used input information, spatial data generation, collation approaches, and the current gaps in coverage and resolution.
3. Reflect on the importance and impact of the GPA within the global context of the GPI and the UNEA-4 Resolution on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands, where a baseline for a Global Peatlands Inventory was requested in 2019 by all member states.
4. Highlight the collaborative process of the GPA and acknowledge the cooperation between hundreds of peatlands experts from all around the world to establish the state of the world’s peatlands.
5. Present case studies of best practices and recommendations of policy options and innovative mechanisms to guide action for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of peatlands.
6. Present the diversity and uniqueness of global peatlands as a key nature-based solution to combat climate change.

Potential Speakers:

• Dianna Kopansky (Coordinator of the Global Peatlands Initiative at UNEP) Topic: Global Impact of GPA
• Lera Miles (Principal Technical Specialist of Climate Change and Biodiversity at UNEP-WCMC) Topic: Collaborative Process of GPA
• Hans Joosten (Secretary-General at International Mire Conservation Group) Topic: Diversity of Peatlands and Background of Definitions
• Alexandra Barthelmes (Coordinator of the Global Peatland Database at Greifswald Mire Centre) Topic: Updated Global Peatlands Map
• Tobias Salathé (Senior Advisor at the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands) Topic: GPA as Baseline for the Global Peatlands Inventory