CANAPE celebrates International Day for Biodiversity

15 May 2018 - Published by Harry Mach

The 22nd of May marks International Day for Biodiversity, and the celebration of 25 years of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This gives us a good opportunity to look at the benefits that the CANAPE project will have for biodiversity.

The CANAPE project through its interventions across the North Sea Region is supporting biodiversity and contributing to the aims of the convention by;

Restoring habitats through the creation of new reed beds and rewetting bogs. Reed beds provide nesting areas for rare species such as bittern, marsh harrier and swallowtail butterflies. Through our interventions at Zuidlaardermeer we also hope to support predatory species such as the Sea Eagle and Otter. By rewetting bogs we are enlarging areas of habitat important to species such as the common crane.

Improving water quality through additional reedmarsh at lake edges (acting as a filter reducing the impact of nutrients entering the water), and using modelling techniques to understand measures needed reduce eutrophication of lakes. Eutrophic lakes are often cloudy, and do not support the full range of fish, insects and water plants that a healthy lake with clear water can support, and by working to "flip" a lake from being cloudy to being clear we can provide a major boost to biodiversity.

Reducing Green House Gas emissions by reducing and reversing the release of carbon that occurs when peatlands are drained. We are doing this by rewetting areas, and creating sustainable products that can support farming in rewetted areas. Climate change is a major threat to biodiversity both in the North Sea Region and across the wider world, as temperature changes and sea level rises can cause a loss of habitat. By rewetting areas we are protecting global species by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of the North Sea Region.