Mapping of cultivated organic soils for targeting greenhouse gas mitigation

AbstractCultivated organic soils can be a major source of GHG emissions in countries with high coverage of peat soils. Targeting mitigation measures based on mapping of cultivated organic soils would reduce these emissions and increase sustainability of agriculture. Different georeferenced datasets were combined to study the area trend and describe current agricultural use of organic soils. The area was also mapped regionally into classes based on intensity of cultivation and organic layer depth, and an example allocation of potential mitigation measures was made at the country scale. The area and proportion of cultivated organic soils have increased in Finland since 1990 but the clearance rate has decreased in recent years. More than half of the area retains a peat layer deeper than 0.6 m indicating long-lasting mitigation potential with measures capable of slowing peat decomposition. Sixty-five percent of the cultivated organic soil area was not considered a priority area for radical management changes,...