Belarus faces the task of re-wetting approximately 138 thousand hectares of depleted and drained peatlands in the near future. This information was announced today by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Andrei Khudyk, while summarising the results of the second phase of the international technical assistance project "Restoration of Drained Peatlands in Belarus", as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Belarus faces the task of re-wetting approximately 138 thousand hectares of depleted and drained peatlands in the near future. This information was announced today by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Andrei Khudyk, while summarising the results of the second phase of the project of international technical assistance "Restoration of Drained Peatlands in Belarus", as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"Over 15 years, 67 thousand hectares have been re-wetted and integrated back into ecosystems in Belarus. This work has intensified in the last 3-4 years. In the near future, we need to re-wet approximately 138 thousand hectares. This will help to partially mitigate negative processes within our territory," said Andrei Khudyk.
"It is sufficient to say that 1 hectare of re-wetted territory in Belarus prevents 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere," he clarified.
The Minister added that there are plans, including re-wetting about 7 thousand hectares in the Polessye Radiation Reserve.
According to Andrei Khudyk, the re-wetting of depleted and drained peatlands is being carried out in cooperation with international environmental funds. He also emphasised that a regulatory legal framework has been established in the country for ecosystem restoration.
Speaking about the climate aspect, the Minister recalled that wetlands are the lungs of the planet. By absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, they play a crucial role in minimising the negative impacts of climate change and natural and weather phenomena.