17 October 2007 - In Belarus, UNDP/GEF project on restoration of  depleted peatlands has started construction of regulating facilities at project sites “Dokudovskoe”, “Bartenikha”, “Miranka”, which had formerly undergone peat extraction.

Construction of water regulation facilities, fire preventing channels and ponds will help decrease the risk of peatlands fires, reduce CO2 emissions, restore habitat for globally valuable flora and fauna species and solve significant ecological problems.

Construction design plans have been elaborated in line with the national requirements and international best-practices, which should enable to restore natural hydrological regime at the project sites.

UNDP Programme Officer Dzmitry Halubouski notes that the “project is entering into a critical phase and successful completion of the construction works will largely determine the effectiveness of peatlands restoration and achievement of the overall project objective.”

The project of the United Nations Development Programme, Global Environment Facility and the Ministry of Forestry of Belarus “Renaturalization and Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Belarus to Combat Land Degradation, Ensure Conservation of Globally Valuable Biodiversity and Mitigate Climate Change” aims to restore wetland ecosystem of 17 drained and degraded peatlands with a total area of over 40 000 ha.


For additional information please contact Information Officer of the project, Elena Goloubovskaya, at 294-90-69, or UNDP Communications Associate, Vladislav Khilkevich, at 227-38-17, e-mail: .

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