In addition to an overview of paludiculture and the rewetting of peatlands, the thesis consists of five published scientific articles, which are mainly dedicated to the cultivation and marketing of reeds and peat moss. Both plants grow all over the world and possess two highly relevant properties: on the one hand, they can form peat and thus store carbon; on the other hand, they are valuable plant-based raw materials that are increasingly in demand.
The jury unanimously assessed the quality of the doctoral thesis, which had received the grade "magna cum laude", as outstanding. In addition to the very high scientific quality, the appraisals emphasise the articles’ immensely practical and political relevance for climate protection and sustainable agriculture. This applies not only to improvements in production technology, but also the development of market potential and the shaping of the political and legal framework conditions required for the future further development of paludiculture, which is currently subject to a huge demand worldwide - and especially in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. One of the expert opinions concludes that Ms Wichmann's work has virtually established and systematically opened up a new field of knowledge.
The award-winning doctoral thesis is entitled "The economics of paludiculture: Costs & benefits of wet land use options for degraded peatlands - with a focus on Reed and Sphagnum moss". The doctorate was supervised and assessed by Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Hans Joosten, Prof. Dr. Volker Beckmann (both from the University of Greifswald), and Prof. Dr. Sebastian Lakner (University of Rostock).
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Sustainability Officer: Dr. Tiemo Timmermann
Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology
Soldmannstraße 15, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 4112