Splendid 17th International Peatland Congress attracted 350 participants to Taizhou

TAIZHOU, China & JYVASKYLA, Finland - Aug. 15, 2024 - PRLog -- The 2024 International Peatland Congress was held on 4 - 9 August in the city of Taizhou, Zhejiang province, which is situated in eastern coastal China, with about 350 participants from 22 countries attending.

The event was the 17th in the 56-year history of the IPS and once again attracted scientists, company representatives, engineers and students from all sectors of peat and peatland management.

Science and business under one roof

The conference consisted of 14 sessions on peatland and peatland science, including nature conservation, palaeoecology, forestry, restoration, horticulture, basic research, climate and biodiversity matters from all around the world, including tropical and arctic peatlands.

Special highlights were the session on the new Global Peatlands Assessment and a well-attended Sino-foreign Peat Industry Summit.

Altogether, the participants heard 18 keynote speeches and 132 presentations over four days and were able to participate in three different full-day field trips – visiting urban wetlands, pristine peatlands and peat(land) agriculture.

In a Changing World

The theme of the Congress was "Peatlands in a Changing World", which truly applies to the situation in many countries, as peatlands used to be stable ecosystems but their situation has become fragile in many respects. A similar fate can be observed for peat which is still urgently needed in the horticulture sector to feed a growing population, but a valuable asset for climate and biodiversity elsewhere. This was expressed by the new IPS President, Hannu Salo, during his closing speech.

Peatlands also do not stop at borders, as the Secretary General, Susann Warnecke, emphasized during her address to the IPS General Assembly which was held on 8 August. International cooperation is needed especially in difficult times, as we observe increasing polarisation in politics and land management.

IPS will continue building bridges and bringing the international community together. However, core funding remains a challenge; and Congress delegates were strongly encouraged to join the IPS as a member.

Networking and social events

The participants were also invited to attend an interesting poster session and get in touch with salespeople from about 30 exhibiting companies from China and Europe. Furthermore, local art and export good exhibitions were on display at the venue.

The networking opportunities were spiced up by the excellent catering by Ramada Wyndham West Taizhou Hotel throughout the week.

Hannu Salo new IPS President

The Annual Assembly of National Representatives met on 8 August and, among other matters, elected a new Executive Board. The new Board consists of the following people:

President: Hannu Salo
1st Vice President: Ilze Ozola
2nd Vice President: Anna-Helena Purre

Ordinary members:

Asha Hingorani
Lulie Melling
Paddy Rowland
Guus van Berckel

Bernd Hofer
Sabine Jordan
Päivi Peronius
Meng Wang

In addition, Bernd Hofer was appointed Chair of the Environment Commission until 2026, and Philip Testroet Chair of the Economy Commission.

The IPS warmly congratulates all elected persons and expresses its sincerest thanks to those Board members whose terms ended, especially honorary members Jack Rieley and Donal Clarke.

Special thanks go also to outgoing President Marko Pomerants who navigated the IPS through Covid and wars in 2020-2024. He summarized his and IPS' impressive achievements during the General Assembly.

The 18th Congress will be held in June 2028 in Riga, Latvia. The next IPS Annual Convention is to be hosted by the Swedish National Committee in Gysinge, on 9 - 12 June 2025. During the same week in June 2026, we will meet in Ireland.

The IPS wishes to thank all participants, sponsors, exhibitors and organisers of #IPC2024. You have done a tremendous job and we will never forget our stay in Taizhou. We also warmly thank the 100 volunteers of Taizhou University who supported us in every possible way. Xièxiè and welcome to Sweden.

www.peatlands.org