%A Maarten Heikens
%T Muddling through the muddles of nature developments in peatlands.
%D 2024
%X Through the rising attention to climate change, the critical role of peatlands can play in this phenomenon, and their vital ecosystem services, an increased need for the careful consideration on how to act upon these landscapes, is recognized. In the context of the Netherlands this is of further importance as the peat layers in the soil present more challenges, to the already existing list of challenges related to land-uses in areas with limited space. One of the strategies receiving increased attention to battle the challenges related to the peat layers in the soil, is nature development. However, conventional assessment methods are limited in assessing the true potential of the creation and preservation of nature in peatlands in the Netherlands. This thesis, therefore explores to what extent an assessment of the positive and negative effects of nature development in peatlands can support decision-making. By conducting two case studies, with data gathered from interviews, a project documentation review, and fieldwork, an assessment of the two projects was conducted. This to explore to what extent the assessment methods, created on the basis of a literature review, could be used to support decision-making. A comprehensive assessment of the cases is only partially possible, due to difficulties labelling the direction of effects. These difficulties can be explained by the influence the factors scale (level of detail), time, perspective, and the weighting of the individual elements, have on the assessment. Nonetheless, the overview of pros and cons, along with a complete or partial conclusion, can inform decision-makers and thereby support the decision-making process. Future research could be conducted to further investigate the influence of these factors, ultimately improving the outcome of the assessment.
%L theses_frw4778