Curriculum vitae

Monitoring of rewetted peatlands following drainage and silvicultural use

Prof. Dr. J. Kollmann, Dr. Jan Sliva

Wetlands and in particular peatlands provide numerous essential ecosystem functions and are among the most valuable ecosystems worldwide. Concurrently, their intensive anthropogenic use, especially drainage together with the agricultural or silvicultural use, has far reaching consequences; greenhouse gases are released to the atmosphere, the capacity for water retention is lost, and important habitats for specialised species disappear. Therefore, peatland restoration has become a major concern of nature conservation as well as of politics. While practical experience is increasing, the restoration of peatlands remains a complex task, where the intended objectives are not always met. Though, comprehensive monitoring programs are needed in order to evaluate past restoration measures.

The goal of my thesis is to understand the development of rewetted peatlands in the first decades after restoration following drainage and silvicultural use. The successful regeneration of characteristic species and the establishment of peatland communities is taken as a target. At the same time those species are used as indicators for the evaluation of ecosystem functions like water retention and carbon storage. The study area comprises 12 peatlands in Fichtelgebirge, north-east Bavaria, which have been restored by the filling of drainage ditches and the removal of trees. Systematic transects are established for the mapping of plant species and habitat conditions. Furthermore, selected animal groups (birds, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and dragonflies) are recorded. In addition to this descriptive field study, a systematic field and greenhouse experiment is conducted. The target species Drosera rotundifolia, Eriophorum vaginatum and Vaccinium oxycoccos are used as phytometers, which inform about the suitability of the sites for the establishment of characteristic communities. The results of this project will lead to more effective restoration of degraded peatlands.

The project “Erfolgskontrolle von Moorrenaturierung in Bezug auf den Klimawandel” is financed by the Bavarian State Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection. The project is a cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, the Association for Bird Protection (LBV) and the Rescue Centre for Reptiles, Munich.

Publications

Conradi, T., Strobl, K., Wurfer, A.-L. & Kollmann, J. (2015) Impacts of visitor trampling on the taxonomic and functional community structure of calcareous grassland. Applied Vegetation Science, 18, 359–367

Strobl, K., Wurfer, A.-L. & Kollmann, J. (2015) Ecological assessment of different riverbank revitalisation measures to restore riparian vegetation in a highly modified river. Tuexenia, 35, 177- 194

Wurfer, A.-L., Strobl, K. & Kollmann, J. (2015) Monitoring für die Ufervegetation bei Flussrevitalisierungen – Entwicklung eines Konzepts. Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung, 47 (10), 311-318.