Biologichni Studii / Studia Biologica

Background. In Ukraine, 2.13 million hectares of peat bogs have been drained (Balashev et al., 1982). The drained areas are partly used as arable lands, hayfields, pastures for livestock, and peat extraction sites. However, a significant part of the drained land is currently not in use; the dual-regulation drainage systems have been partially destroyed, their maintenance has ceased, and they continue to drain the peatland. As a result, the vegetation in such areas is at various stages of degradation. This situation has created a social demand for the restoration – “rewetting” – of the drained peatlands, which are natural sinks of greenhouse gases (CO₂ and CH₄), effective regulators of annual water runoff in hydraulically connected rivers, and habitats for specific peatland flora and fauna, including rare and protected species. Restoring a peatland to a condition close to its natural state, however, is a complex, multi-stage task requi­ring an integrated approach and scientific research conducted according to a speciali­zed methodology, which is currently lacking in Ukraine. Furthermore, based on the GEST approach, restored peatland areas may qualify for carbon credits from authorized foreign companies, depending on the success of the restoration efforts. Credits are issued on the basis of scientific calculations that must determine the balance difference between greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂ and CH₄) from the peat of the drained bog and those from the restored site after the groundwater level has been raised. Such a methodology does not yet exist in Ukraine, despite its high relevance.
The methodology for carbon credit calculation for Ukraine was developed in 2025 within the framework of the project “Peatland Restoration in Drevlyanskyi Nature Reserve”, implemented in the peatland floodplain of the Zvizdal’ River within the Drevlyanskyi Nature Reserve by the non-profit conservation organization the “Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds”, with financial support from Materialise company (Belgium). Preliminary investigations of the Zvizdal’ bog massif (landscapes, soil cover, flora and vegetation, fauna) were carried out in 2023.
The key reference document on which the Ukrainian methodology is based on: H. Joosten, K. Brust, J. Couwenberg, A. Gerner, B. Holsten, T. Permien, A. Schäfer, F. Tanneberger, M. Trepel, A. Wahren (2015). MoorFutures®. Integration of additional ecosystem services (including biodiversity) into carbon credits – standard, methodo­logy and transferability to other regions. 120 p. BfN-Skripten 407, Bonn. Moor Futures: Integration of additional ecosystem services (bfn.de).
The objectives of this publication are to: (1) develop a methodology for calculating carbon credits for a specific peatland massif; (2) describe the stages of scientific work, their content, and the specialized methods required; (3) provide reference materials important for practical application of the methodology (List of GESTs for Ukrainian peat bogs considering vegetation, groundwater levels, and annual greenhouse gas emissions); (4) present an example of carbon credit calculation for a specific drained peat bog (the Zvizdal’ massif, Drevlyanskyi Nature Reserve, Zhytomyr Region).
Results.The outcome of this publication is the creation of an integrated methodo­logy for carbon credit calculation adapted to specific conditions in Ukraine. The methodo­logy consists of five chapters that provide a step-by-step description of the workflow:
1. Formation of the Baseline Data Package. This chapter includes the following subchapters: Brief Description of Input Information; Field Studies (Assessment of Vegetation Cover; Assessment of Peat Deposits; Peat Sampling for Agrochemical Analysis; Determination of Groundwater Level); Office/Laboratory Processing of Collected Data (Processing of Vegetation Cover Data; Determination of Groundwater Level Range and Peat Moisture Class; Agrochemical Analysis of Peat Samples; Creation of Cartographic Materials).
2. Carbon Credit Calculations. The chapter includes the following subchapters: Baseline Calculation; Predictive Calculation for Spontaneous Development of Anthropogenically Transformed Vegetation; Predictive Calculation after Rewetting of the Peatland according to Scenario I and Scenario II.
3. Monitoring.
4. Calculation of greenhouse gas emission reduction potential.
5. Obtained Results. The chapter summarizes the values of greenhouse gas emissions under the current ecosystem state and under Scenario I and Scenario II, and clarifies the values of the greenhouse gas emission reduction potential.
Other important results of this work are presented in Appendix I and Appendix II, which provide a detailed example of calculating the greenhouse gas emission reduction potential for a specific drained peatland (the Zvizdal’ massif, Drevlyanskyi Nature Reserve, Zhytomyr Region).
Conclusion
1. The developed methodology complies with the modern standard for calculation of carbon credits (Verra, 2024).
2. The methodology includes all recommended blocks on the basis of which the values of global warming potential can be calculated (Haxtema, 2014; Handbook for Assessment…, 2022).
3. The results of calculations testify that on the projective area (115.2 ha) of the Zvizdal’ bog massif, under the Baseline Scenario, without restoration, the value of global warming potential (GWP) equals 4563.82 t CO₂ eq./year.
4. To achieve the goal of raising the groundwater level to the project-designated levels (-20 cm and -30 cm), it is necessary to construct semi-dams from natural materials on drainage canals, in accordance with the technical project.
5. The results of calculations show that after restoration, according to Scenario I, with the rise in groundwater level to -30 cm, the value of the global warming potential (GWP) will equal 1403.2 t CO₂ eq./year; and under Scenario II, with the rise in groundwater level to -20 cm, the value of GWP will be essentially lower and will equal 361.58 t CO₂ eq./year.
6. The greenhouse gas reduction potential for Scenario I is 3160.6 t CO₂ eq./year, and for Scenario II – 4202.2 t CO₂ eq./year.