wise use of mires and peatlands - Peatland Ecology Research Group

84 VALUES AND FUCTIONS OF MIRES AND PEATLANDSSometimes Johan Clemme would ponder whether he had done right in opening thiswilderness for man. He loved the land because of its sadness and its poverty. He lovedit because of the secrets of its soil, the sunken world of plants, trees, and animals. Heloved the land because of its wide heaven. After them, all generations who lived there,he loved. He knew that among them were many who could only live in the bog andwould be unhappy everywhere else. In their silent faces he recognised himself.Aar van der Werfhorst 1945Their limited accessibility has often turnedmires into political, cultural, and languageborders 230 .As part of their social-amenity functionspeatlands may act as a bringing-togetherpoint for social contacts, places where peoplemeet and acquire company, friendship,solidarity, and self-respect 231 . In some areas,these social aspects of employment (“keepingthe rural area alive”) have constituteddecisive reasons for peat extraction, forexample in the midlands of Ireland and centralFinland.Data on employment in peatland agriculture,peatland forestry, and mire conservation arenot available on a global scale 232 . In directindustrial peat extraction (Tables 3/17 and3/18), employment has been declining duringthe last decade, because of decreasingproduction volumes 233 and the introductionof more labour-efficient productiontechniques 234 . No data are available onindirect employment but a 1993 report 235estimated the multiplier effect (therelationship between direct and combineddirect/indirect employment) at between 1.15and 1.25.(s) Recreation and aesthetic functionsMires and peatlands have recreation valuein that they provide opportunities forrecreation. The limited accessibility of miresand peatlands (“too wet to drive, too dry toboat”) does not make them particularly suitedfor mass recreation. Where facilities 236 areavailable, however, large numbers of peoplemay visit these open, often softly undulatinglandscapes with their endless skies andmirror-like water surfaces, their wealth ofextraordinary species, their historicaldimension, and their treacherous, mysteriousbut exciting character 237 (Table 3/19). Manymore mires are used for low-intensityrecreation by amateur hunters, anglers,gatherers of berries and mushrooms, hikers,1990 1998 1999Average Peak Average Peak Average PeakEastern Europe 89 900 91 200 25 900 26 400 25 600 26 400Western Europe 8 100 11 000 8 400 15 200 8 300 13 800North America 2 500 3 600 3 100 3 900 3 200 4 000Total 100 500 105 800 37 400 44 800 37 120 44 500(IPS questionnaire 2000, preliminary data, supplemented by estimates)Table 3/17: Labour force in the global peat industry in man-years