Annual Report 2022

“Protecting nature is not a luxury, but the
basis for the continuation of human civilisation.”

Prof. em. Dr. Michael Succow | Founder and Alternative Nobel Laureate

> Annual Report

What the Michael Succow Foundation has achieved at home and abroad, in forests, peatlands and meadows for people and nature in 2022, we would like to present to you in our annual report.

On our more than 1,400 hectares of foundation area, we cover the entire spectrum of natural heritage: from ever-aging forest wilderness to coastal-dynamic salt grasslands to conservation-sophisticated sustainable land use in restored peatlands.
In one project, we were able to reactivate more than 2,600 m of silted-up tideways, prepare reedy areas for grazing and reduce the risk of injury to breeding and resting shorebird species
by dismantling fences. With 38 current leases, we ensure that our foundation areas are used in a manner that is appropriate for nature conservation.

Paludiculture became eligible for funding under the EU Agricultural Policy and the German government drafted the Climate Action Programme. This also means for us stronger tailwind for peatland climate protection in Germany and Europe, more long-term projects and many applications. The interest from outside, the media attention and also the peatland team of the foundation itself grow rapidly. At the same time, we broke new ground and presented ourselves with a peatland pavillon at the Venice Art Biennale.

From Italy, the road takes us to Georgia in the Great Caucasus: Breathtakingly beautiful, ecologically unique and now recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. Two biosphere reserves, "Three Alazani Rivers" and "Dedoplistskaro", have become part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves with our support and are the first in the entire South Caucasus region.

For international research, easy access to existing knowledge and the constant creation of new knowledge are important to us. In Central Asia, gigantic plant world archives are slumbering. With the digitization of herbarium specimens from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, we have taken on the task of making this unique treasure accessible to scientists and hobby florists. 49.9% of all plants from Turkmenistan are now online - both as species specimens and with high-resolution herbarium photographs. However, complete digitization is a generation task.

Preserving nature, managing its resources and maintaining the value of ecosystems is the task of everyone in our society. With our meaningful projects for nature, peatlands and climate protection, we as a foundation contribute to this.

With a peatland protection sponsorship you can support the ongoing protection, active care and work in favor of the rewetting of five peatland areas in Western Pomerania and Northern Brandenburg.

We hope you enjoy reading our annual report.

Kathrin Succow & Jan Peters
Chair of the Foundation Board & Managing Director

> Annual Report