Funding Guideline 1,000 Moors – Rewetting and Renaturation of Nature Conservation-Relevant Moors

The funding guideline 1,000 Moors supports nationwide measures for the permanent rewetting and renaturation of small, nature conservation-relevant peatland areas. With the main objective of preserving peat soils as natural carbon sinks and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the funding program is aimed at landowners, municipalities, companies, non-profit organizations, as well as private individuals. The funding measure is particularly applicable to peatland areas between 5 and 200 hectares that are not used for agricultural or forestry purposes. By financing consulting, planning, and implementation services, ecologically sustainable rewetting is to be achieved, which simultaneously serves to preserve peatland-specific biodiversity. Not only areas with existing nature conservation status are funded, but also those without specific nature conservation classification, provided they contribute to the permanent protection of peat soils.

The funding guideline places a special focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the stabilization of the natural functions of peatland landscapes. This includes both non-investive measures for conducting orientation consultations (funding focus 1) as well as investive measures that flow into preliminary planning (module 2.1) and implementation (module 2.2) of concrete rewetting projects. The funding is granted as a non-repayable grant with a funding rate of 90% to 99%. Eligible expenses include expert consulting and planning services as well as material and construction costs and project-related personnel expenses. The program enables flexible application submission via the easy-Online portal, allowing interested parties to submit their project proposals at any time.

The program is implemented by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in cooperation with the project sponsor Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH. It pursues an integrative approach in which climate and biodiversity protection interlock to achieve long-term ecological effects. By promoting innovative rewetting projects, synergies between peatland protection and sustainable land use are also to be created. Project sponsors are supported from the initial consulting phase through to full implementation and monitoring of the measures. Overall, the funding program makes a significant contribution to fulfilling nationwide climate protection goals and preserving valuable ecosystems.