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Computational Ecology and Software, 2025, 15(2): 45-56
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Article

The state of drained peatlands in the Middle Urals and prospects of their use for carbon farming

Seyed Omid Reza Shobairi1,2, Alenakochubei3, Olga Cherepanova3,4, Ivan Tsepordey3,4, Victoria Napalkova3, Elena Sharova3,4, Behnam Asghari Beirami5
1Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumuqi, 830011, China
2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
3Forest Science Department, Institute Botanic Garden of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
4Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
5Imam hossein University, Tehran, Iran

Received 20 October 2024;Accepted 25 November 2024;Published online 20 December 2024;Published 1 June 2025
IAEES

Abstract
The global change of the planet's climate is associated with increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which is the result of irrational human economic activity. Wetlands are a natural and efficient store of carbon dioxide. It covers only about 6% of the land surface. Peatlands contain one-third of all soil carbon, or 600 billion tons, which is two times more than the entire global forest biomass pool. Only ocean sediments contain more carbon. Peatlands in the boreal zone, characterized by snowy winters and short warm summers, contain on average seven times more carbon per hectare than any other ecosystem, and ten times more in the tropics. Restoration of drained wetlands to enable their use for carbon farming is also advisable, because it reduces carbon dioxide emission caused by microbial oxidation of peat and by wildfires in the drained areas. Therefore, comprehensive research on the role of drained wetlands in capturing and storing greenhouse gases is crucial for the sustainable management of these valuable ecosystems. Identifying the most promising areas for carbon farming is an important challenge for both global and regional studies. In 2022, the Basyanovsky and Koksharovsko-Kombaevsky drained peatlands located in the Sverdlovsk region (the Middle Urals) were studied as a part of reconnaissance work aimed at finding and selecting peatlands suitable for carbon farming. These peatlands are currently not used for peat harvesting and undergo active natural restoration. The area of secondary rewetting within the Koksharovsky peatland was also studied. On the territory of the Koksharovo-Kombayevsky peatland, the species composition of vegetation in both woody and grass-shrub strata, the composition of peat deposits, and the rate of carbon accumulation were evaluated. Based on the results of this research, the most promising peatland for carbon farming and further study of greenhouse gas emissions appeared to be the Koksharovsko-Kombayevsky peatland.

Keywords the Middle Urals;drained peatland;peat deposits;carbon farming.


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