Canadian peatlands and their function as C sinks are under threat of permafrost thaw, wildfire, and anthropogenic disturbances such as mining, drainage for agriculture and forestry, urban development, and peat extraction. Managing and protecting peatlands from these disturbances may greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Canada. However, there are uncertainties in peatland GHG emissions and removal estimates and research gaps in C stock mapping, and disturbance regimes. The Can-Peat project aims to address these uncertainties and gaps to determine the potential of peatland management as a nature-based solution to climate change. This presentation will introduce the Can-Peat project and ongoing activities including the advances in fostering collaboration in Canadian peatland research, the Canadian Peatland Data Portal, and activities to advance Indigenous data sovereignty for peatland data.
