Welcome to the CANAPE project.

Creating A New Approach to Peatland Ecosystems

CANAPE is a project co-funded by the North Sea Region Programme 2014 - 2020.

Fenlands and Bogs used to be a major part of the landscape in the low lying areas around the North Sea. Over time these flat landscapes covered in moss, grasses, reeds and sedges, broken up by shallow lakes and rivers, have lain down layer after layer of partially decomposed organic matter called peat.

For centuries peat has been an important resource, as people have drained the fens and bogs for land to produce food, and used the dried peat as a fuel. This leads to releases of CO2 from the dried peat, and a reduction in capacity of the land to store water leading to reduced protection from floods. 

The project Creating a New Approach to Peatland Ecosystems responds to these issues by restoring wetland areas to reduce their CO2 emissions and improve their capacity to store water, and by aiming to develop the markets for products produced from wetland ecosystems - a type of farming known as Paludiculture.