(Alpine Space) RE-PEAT-it! is a transnational cooperation project funded under the Interreg Alpine Space program. It addresses the urgent need to protect, restore, and sustainably manage alpine peatlands, which serve as vital green infrastructures and critical carbon sinks for climate change mitigation across the Alpine region. Through cross-border collaboration among research centers, protected area managers, land users, and public authorities, the project aims to enhance peatland ecosystem services and strengthen ecological connectivity.

Alpine peatlands are among the most valuable yet highly endangered ecosystems in the Alps. They perform essential ecosystem functions, including:

1. Carbon Sequestration: Acting as long-term carbon sinks to mitigate global warming.
2. Water Regulation: Functioning as natural sponges that regulate hydrological cycles and buffer against extreme weather events like flooding and drought.
3. Biodiversity Support: Providing unique habitats for specialized and endangered flora and fauna.

Rising global temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and historical land-use pressures (such as drainage and grazing) have degraded many peatland areas. RE-PEAT-it! aligns directly with the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and macro-regional strategies to reverse degradation and safeguard these ecosystems.

Core Objectives

• Ecological Restoration: Sviluppare and pilot transnational strategies for re-wetting and restoring degraded peatlands to reinstate their natural carbon storage and water regulation capacity.
• Climate Resilience: Boost the adaptive capacity and climate resilience of high-altitude wetland ecosystems.
• Transnational Green Infrastructure: Integrate peatlands into a cohesive, cross-border green infrastructure network with standardized monitoring metrics and shared data protocols across Alpine countries.
• Multi-Stakeholder Governance: Engage farmers, forestry managers, local communities, and policy-makers to overcome governance barriers and promote sustainable land-use models like paludiculture and carbon farming.