Introduction

Biodiversity is ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems’ (CBD 1992). Most of the ecosystem services provided by natural peatlands depend ultimately on living organisms, and individual species may directly deliver provisioning and cultural services. In recent years, peatlands have repeatedly been identified by the Ramsar Convention as the most important wetland type for the support of biodiversity and the regulation of natural processes. They also have been singled out for increased attention by both the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Nonetheless, the importance of peatlands for biodiversity is still poorly understood among many audiences.

In this chapter, we outline the biodiversity characteristics of natural peatlands and the suitability of different methods for their assessment (Section 3.2), consider how biodiversity is lost and how losses may be quantified (Section 3.3) and explore some implications for the development of effective approaches to the restoration of peatland biodiversity based on the principles of structural-functional ecosystem analysis (Section 3.4).

Biodiversity in natural peatlands

Characteristics of peatland habitats and species

The process of peat formation means that part of the peatland biota is directly responsible for creating the habitat (Minayeva et al. 2008). Mire massifs form distinct habitat patches that may be spatially separated by large distances, and are characterised by:

1. • high water level and moisture content

2. • considerable fluctuations of surface temperature

3. • low oxygen content

4. • accumulation of toxic substances and absorbed gases

5. • limited availability of nutrients

6. • higher acidity than surrounding ecosystems (in most cases).

These conditions create severe restrictions for living organisms, resulting in intense competition for space and nutrients between individuals even if they have different life forms. Peatlands also influence driving factors (water level, microclimate, matter and water balance, gas exchange, etc.) that affect habitat conditions, and thus biodiversity, for non-peatland ecosystems in the surrounding landscape and downstream.