Renaturation dynamics after the rewetting of a Mediterranean agricultural peatland

A new research project combining peatland rewetting and water phyto-treatment was set up in the Massaciuccoli Lake basin (Tuscany, Italy) to restore the peat degradation status and the water eutrophication conditions caused by almost a century of drained-based agricultural use. In a large scale phyto-treatment system, three different strategies (constructed wetland system, paludicultural system, natural wetland system) were studied to evaluate their efficiency in abating the nutrients loads from the drainage waters and to stop the peatland degradation. In this research, we investigated the renaturation process occurring within the natural wetland system as a result of the different disturbances carried out: the top soil removal in the perimeter area, the realization of a perimeter levee to contain the waters, the rewetting with the waters coming from the drainage of surrounding areas.