File:Wiktor Kotowski in wetlands.jpg

Wetlands - key sites for the functioning of the biosphere: natural water filters, regulators of climate and water flow. We lose them most quickly from all land ecosystems. Restoration of destroyed ecosystems is one of the most urgent needs of the modern world. Dr hab. Wiktor Kotowski is currently coordinating two international projects on environmental improvement through the restoration of wetlands: 1) the REPEAT project, which evaluates the chances of restoration of carbon accumulation on formerly drained and now rewetted fen peatlands; 2) the CLEARANCE project, which analyzes the prospects for improving water quality in rivers through the restoration of river wetlands.

The first step on the way leading to the efficient restoration of ecosystem functions of degraded ecosystems is to understand the processes that govern their functioning. The first step in understanding the functioning of the ecosystem are field studies - for example, taking a few meters deep peat cores, collecting water for further laboratory analyses, documenting the vegetation composition. Conducting fieldwork is often hard physical work, done regardless of the weather - in the autumn rain or in the summer 30-degree heat.