Greenhouse gas emissions from flooded cutover fens in Belarus Biber Methan Moor Schilf Torfabbau Treibhausgas Wiedervernässung Phragmites australis beaver flooding convective gas flow greenhouse gas emission methane peat extraction peatland rewetting wetland plant Over thousands of years peatlands around the world have accumulated carbon (C) stocks of global importance. Drainage for agriculture forestry and peat extraction has transformed many peatlands from long term sinks into strong sources of carbon dioxide (CO2). Peat extraction is worldwide responsible for about ten percent of drained peatlands and is mainly carried out in northern countries and Eastern Europe. In Belarus 0.3 Mha of peatlands are drained for peat extraction which is twelve percent of the countrys peatland area. From 2006 to 2013 21 333 ha of this area have been rewetted to protect these peatlands from fire and further degradation reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions turn them back into C sinks and promote biodiversity. A further 260 000 ha are no longer used for peat extraction and their rewetting would be a great benefit for nature conservation and climate protection. Rewetting of abandoned peat extraction areas usually leads to inundation of large areas where not adapted plants die and new species establish depending on water level and nutrient conditions. Beavers of which there are many in Belarus also play an important role in the rewetting of peatlands. They dam up ditches in drained and rewetted peatlands thus contributing to water level increases and vegetation changes. The aim of this PhD thesis was to investigate the impact of inundation on vegetation and GHG emissions in formerly extracted fens in Belarus to determine the role of ...