>Table Of Contents

Clicking on any of the chapter titles listed below will bring you to the corresponding chapter page. From these pages you can download the required PDF document. You will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the PDF documents. If you do not have Acrobat installed, you can download it from the Adobe site at: http://www.adobe.com

Guide to Use of the Document			Page
	1. Outline of Chapter Contents 2. Guide to the framework for decision-making		11 15
1. Introduction
	1.1 Preface 1.2 'Sustainable' and 'Wise' Use in key Conventions 1.3 Preparation of a Wise Use document 1.4 Guidelines for Global Action Plan on Peatlands 1.5 Purpose of the document 1.6 Concept and content of the document 1.7 Target organisations 1.8 How to use the document 1.9 Drafting and language		21 22 23 24 25 26 26 27 27
2. Mires and Peatlands
	2.1 Concepts and terms 2.2 Peat formation 2.3 Mire and peatland types 2.4 Extent and location of mires and peatlands		29 31 32 41
		2.4.1 The global picture 2.4.2 Europe 2.4.3 Asia 2.4.4 Africa 2.4.5 North, Central and South America 2.4.6 Australia, New Zealand the Pacific and Antartica	41 43 47 49 51 52
	2.5 Rates of peat and carbon accumulation 2.6 Characteristics of peatlands 2.7 Peatlands as habitats and ecosystems		53 56 58
3. Values and Functions of Mires and Peatlands
	3.1 What are values 3.2 Positions with respect to intrinsic moral values 3.3 Types of instrumental values 3.4 Functions of Mires and Peatlands for Human Beings		63 64 67 69
		3.4.1 Production functions 3.4.2 Carrier functions 3.4.3 Regulation functions 3.4.4 Informational functions 3.4.5 Transformation and option functions 3.4.6 The values of conservation and economics	70 95 98 112 121 122
4. Values and conflicts: where different values meet
	4.1 Introduction 4.2 Needs and wants, rights and justice 4.3 Different types of conflicts 4.4 Conflicts dealing with facts 4.5 Conflicts dealing with preferences 4.6 Conflicts dealing with precedences 4.7 Conflicts dealing with priorities 4.8 The monetarisation of peatland values 4.9 Conflicts dealing with moral positions 4.10 Non-anthropocentric approaches		125 126 127 128 129 131 133 138 144 145
5. Framework for Wise Use
	5.1 Introduction 5.2 Deciding in principle if an intervention is admissable		147 150 150 151 153 154 158 159 160 162 162 166 167 170 170 171 173 174
		5.2.1 The effects of a use on the function itself 5.2.2 The effects of a use on other functions
	5.3 General considerations 5.4 Guidance principles for the wise use of mires and peatlands 5.5 Modifiers 5.6 Instruments
		5.6.1 Instruments at an international level 5.6.2 Instruments at regional level involving groups of countries 5.6.3 Instruments at a national level 5.6.4 Instruments at sub-national level involving provinces and regions 5.6.5 Instruments at the level of enterprises 5.6.6 Instruments at the level of the individual person
	5.7 Codes of Conduct 5.8 Non-anthropocentric approaches 5.9 Dialogue 5.10 Conclusion
6. Glossary of Concepts and Terms
7. Acknowledgements
8. Appendices
	1. Mires and peatlands and the global climate 2. Principles of the Ecosystem Approach 3. Patterns of Property Ownership 4. Code of conduct to be applied to suppliers of horticultural peat 5. Code of conduct to be applied to a facility for the conversion of peat to energy 6. International Environmental Conventions 7. The six management categories of IUCN		199 215 216 220 223 225 226
9. References

Introduction | Statement | Table Of Contents