, Davis Matskins, Ilze OzolaLatvia’s peatlands play an important role in achieving the country’s climate goals and preserving natural diversity. Approximately 10% of Latvia’s territory is covered by peatlands, more precisely defined as peat deposits. However, outdated inventories of these peatlands hinder the development of sustainable policies for managing natural recourses. This lack of data also complicates efforts to predict the extent of fens and assess their potential contribution to climate change mitigation, such as through rewetting activities. In this study, we assessed the extent of fens in one of Latvia’s largest municipalities – Ogre. After a feasibility study using GIS tools, fen peat deposits were randomly selected and surveyed in the field to determine the type, thickness, and characteristics of the peat. Among the 20 sites surveyed, only five corresponded to fen peat deposits (with a peat layer of at least 30 cm), and only one of these qualified as a fen also in terms of vegetation and moisture regime. Existing fen peat deposits are subject to intensive erosion, mineralization, and decomposition, leading to greenhouse gas emissions. The results indicate that there are significantly fewer fen peat deposits than previously assumed, and a detailed analysis of their extent, involving field inspection and verification at the national level, is needed.
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