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Poland and Finland Weigh Rewetting Peatlands as Natural Defenses

Officials describe peatland rewetting as a dual-use deterrent pairing natural tank obstacles with carbon storage.

Overview

  • Poland has folded moor and wetland restoration into its multibillion‑euro East Shield program, framing nature as a force multiplier for border defense.
  • Finland is preparing pilot projects, with the environment ministry saying the sites are intended to boost CO₂ storage and complicate any armored incursion.
  • Planning centers on vulnerable corridors such as the Suwałki Gap between Poland and Lithuania, where reinstated wetlands could hinder movement toward Kaliningrad.
  • Backers cite 2022 fighting near Irpin and Moschun in Ukraine, where flooding and mud bogged down Russian vehicles and disrupted supply lines.
  • Officials emphasize the measures are proactive peacetime steps, and note that rewetted peatlands store carbon whereas drained peat releases greenhouse gases.