What Terrathesis is about

There is a long road between technical feasibility and economic reality. 

Episode 4 asks: Who can afford to switch to permanently wet peatlands—and under what conditions? It takes years for reeds to mature enough for use in thatched roofing. In some places, paludiculture fails due to a lack of nutrients or water. And even when a product works, the global market often dictates the price—as is the case with reeds from China. On top of that, fluctuating agricultural prices and extreme weather conditions make long-term planning difficult for farms anyway. Currently, only renewable energy offers a predictable income over the long term. At the same time, it is not just about yields. In peatland regions like Netzen, local residents worry about rising water levels in their basements, altered habitats, and the loss of familiar landscapes. Ultimately, much depends on trust: between the agricultural sector, policymakers, and the local community.

With Laura Wiegand, Lena Kolbow, Herr Petri, Johannes Funke, Doris Triebsch, Patrick Gutjahr and Roland Simon.

The catch with funding.

In this clip, Torsten Galke, a product developer at "Moor and more", discusses the bureaucratic side of peatland conservation. Anyone who has to apply for and manage grant funding spends a significant amount of time on administrative tasks rather than on the actual work itself. For small businesses like "Moor and more," this poses a real challenge—and slows down the very initiatives they aim to advance.

Water in, yield out? 

Episode 3 explores the question of what agriculture on rewetted peatlands might look like. Together with farmers, we examine adaptations within the existing system: lighter cattle breeds such as Jerseys or Galloways, water buffalo for mozzarella, and horse hay harvested from wet grasslands—all possible, yet quickly running up against economic limits. Paludiculture offers a different approach: farming with plants that thrive in wet conditions. Reeds for thatched roofs, cattails for insulation material, biomass for furniture panels, or even bioplastics. The term "paludiculture" was coined in Greifswald and is now established worldwide; however, a long road still lies between research and economic reality. Added to this is the question: Is a political target of maintaining water levels at 30 centimeters below ground surface sufficient if the upper soil layers continue to emit CO₂ in the process? Featuring Johannes Funke, Lukas Landgraf, Stephan Warnke, Lena Kolpo, Marc de la Barré, Juliane & Sebastian Petri, Laura Wiegand, Anke Herrmann, Thorsten Galke, and Jennifer Merten.

Next episode: What are the obstacles on the path to implementation, and what do local residents have to say when their areas are flooded?

Drained peatlands emit 53 million tons of CO₂ annually — that accounts for roughly 7 percent of all German emissions. The solution sounds simple: bring the water back to the peatlands. But it isn't quite that easy. In Episode 2, we ask: Where is the water supposed to come from when rainfall is becoming increasingly scarce anyway? Who decides where it flows? And what does rewetting mean for the agricultural sector, which operates on these very lands? We speak with farmers who are watching their soils dry out, and with water and soil associations grappling with dilapidated water control structures. Also: Why a dry peatland is like a dry sponge, what agroforestry systems can achieve, and why Germany is unlikely to meet its climate targets without wet peatlands.

Featuring Lena Kolbow, Lukas Landgraf, Marc de la Barré, Juliane and Sebastian Petri, Stephan Warnke, Jennifer Merten, Ivonne Schulz, Stephan Reimann, Anke Herrmann, Thomas Hartmann, and Laura Wiegand.

In the next episode: What crops can still be grown on wet lands — and is it worth it?

What exactly is a peatland — and why should we care about it?

In the first podcast episode of terrathesis, we explore the fundamentals: Why are peatlands more than just wet soils? How can a 30-centimeter layer of peat store carbon accumulated over thousands of years? And what happens when we disrupt this natural cycle? Together with Lena Kolpo, Laura Wiegand, Vera Luthardt, Jennifer Merten, Martin Szaramowicz, and Lukas Landgraf, we take a look at the history of peatland drainage in Germany — from agricultural land reclamation to the release of CO₂, whose true scale was underestimated for a long time.