2024-03-27

WICKLOW / CERVIA – This investigation looked into how commercial interests backed by public money are decimating Europe’s remaining wetlands, as national authorities ignore this ongoing exploitation. 

Wetlands - such as lagoons, swamps, and peat bog - are a distinct ecosystem saturated by water and are vital CO2 emissions sponges, capable of locking up carbon for thousands of years. It is for this reason that, in 1971, the UN Ramsar Convention was signed by countries to conserve our wetlands. Yet, wetlands remain one of the most threatened ecosystems in Europe as countries actively encourage exploitation, supporting intensive agriculture, industrial extraction and mass tourism. The majority of wetlands in Europe - the bloc’s greatest carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots - are exploited beyond repair due to decades of industrial activity.

Our team of reporters are based in the EU countries with the greatest loss of wetlands: Ireland, which has lost 90% of its wetlands, Germany (80%), and Italy (75%).

In Ireland, the investigation exposed how two semi-state bodies that control 20% of Ireland’s peatlands continue to exploit them for commercial gain. We revealed the direct impact of poor climate policy: putting plantation forestry and wind farms on peatlands - highlighting resulting water quality impacts and continued draining of peats for speculative planning applications.

In Germany, we revealed how politicians circumvent urging climate issues by opposing the Nature Restoration Law. We showed in Germany how conservative political inaction and lobby work is not only postponing essential steps toward landscape restoration, but also leaving farmers with no answer to their questions about the social-economic consequences in the case of a large-scale rewetting of agricultural peatlands.

In Italy, our investigation combined scientific literature, satellite data, and field reporting to identify some of the most degraded or yet unknown Italian wetlands. We focused on Sardinia and Cervia as emblematic cases, demonstrating how a proper wetland protection is impossible without detailed scientific knowledge and an integrated management of these vital ecosystems.

Photo: Wetland in Oristano, Sardinia. The Gulf of Oristano boasts 7,700 hectares of Ramsar wetlands of international importance (over 60% of Sardinia's entire heritage). Credit: Giulia Bonelli

IMPACT

The investigation reached Facta.eu’s core community of researchers, scientists, activists, NGOs representatives and teachers. The team received several qualitative feedback on the project’s results, which were used at local level for advocacy activities to protect wetlands in Sardinia. Moreover, further Italian wetlands that could be investigated were suggested by researchers and activists, and the journalists are currently exploring several opportunities to expand the project.

The project has served as a pilot to develop a collaborative approach between science and investigative journalists and a group of data scientists based at SISSA post-graduate School in Trieste, Italy. Elisabetta Tola gave several seminars and practical sessions in this school to present the project’s main steps and results.

The investigation was presented during the Climate Arena Conference in Bologna in October 2024. The proposed panel included two journalists and a data scientists involved in the project, who discussed their investigative approaches encompassing data science, satellite journalism and field reporting on the ground to investigate the effectiveness or the lack of efficacy of wetlands’ protective measures.

The investigation was also discussed during the Future Visions on Sciences Communication 2024 Conference in Trieste in December 2024, part of the panel “From space to the story: the power of satellite journalism”.

Results of the investigation were also included in the German non-fiction book "Moore sind wie Menschen, nur nasser" which was published in May 2024 in the Katapult Verlag. The non-fiction book took a broad perspective on peatland within it also critically examined agriculture on drained peatlands and the EU subsidies in relation to climate impact costs.

Team members

Guillaume Amouret

Guillaume Amouret is a French journalist based in Hamburg.

Guillaume Amouret

Giulia Bonelli

Giulia Bonelli is a freelance science journalist based in Rome.

Maria Delaney

Maria Delaney (Dublin) is the editor of The Journal Investigates.

 

Steven Fox

Steven Fox is a freelance journalist currently based in Cork, Ireland.

Steven Fox

Swantje Furtak

Swantje Furtak is a freelance journalist based in Munich.

Swantje Furtak ©Jana Stein

Benedetta Pagni

Benedetta Pagni is a science journalist and data analyst based in Trieste, Italy.

Elisabetta Tola

Elisabetta Tola is an Italian journalist and science communicator.

Elisabetta Tola
Media

The Journal

The Journal is the largest native online news outlet in Ireland with 550,000+ average daily users, with a 50/50 gender split.

The Journal
Supported
€30,855 allocated on 28/08/2023
ID
ENV1/2023/245

ONLINE

PODCAST

FOLLOW-UP

MENTIONED

COUNTRIES

  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Germany

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