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Good practice Imported

Green Tripartite Agreement — National Peatland Rewetting Scheme (Denmark)

Denmark · Copenhagen · See the Denmark profile · See the Copenhagen profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 47% 47/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Denmark's June 2024 Green Tripartite Agreement commits a ~DKK 40bn (EUR 5.4bn) Green Land Fund to voluntarily rewet 140,000 ha of drained agricultural peatland by 2030, backed by a 2027 nitrogen-regulation backstop if uptake falls short.

140,000 hectares
Peatland targeted for ending farming/rewetting (by 2030)
40 DKK billion (~EUR5.4bn)
Green Land Fund size (2024-2032)
250,000 hectares
Parallel afforestation target (by 2030)
1.8 million tonnes CO2e/year
Estimated annual emissions reduction by 2030 (by 2030 (estimate))
Green Tripartite Agreement — National Peatland Rewetting Scheme (Denmark)

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, with Green Tripartite partners (Landbrug & Fodevarer, Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Local Government Denmark)
Period
2024–2030 (rewetting target); Green Land Fund disbursing to 2032
Region (NUTS)
DK01
Keywords
peatland rewetting, agricultural emissions, carbon-rich soils, land-use reform, climate agreement

Context

In June 2024, Denmark's government and a coalition of agricultural, industry and environmental organisations — the "Green Tripartite" (Landbrug & Fodevarer, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Local Government Denmark and others) — signed the Agreement for a Greener Denmark, the country's first economy-wide deal to restructure agricultural land use for climate goals.

Objectives

End farming on 140,000 hectares of drained, carbon-rich lowland soils and their buffer zones by 2030, alongside a parallel 250,000-hectare afforestation target, to help close the gap to Denmark's 70%-reduction climate target.

Activities

The agreement is financed through a Green Land Fund (Gron Fond) of roughly DKK40 billion (EUR5.4 billion) that pays landowners to voluntarily rewet or afforest their land. Implementation began in November 2024. A backstop of stricter nitrogen regulation from 2027 applies if voluntary uptake falls short.

Results

Analysts estimate the combined rewetting, afforestation and rewilding measures could cut Danish emissions by about 1.8 million tonnes of CO2e a year by 2030 (an estimate, not yet a measured outcome).

Conclusions

Independent reviewers such as Green Transition Denmark have questioned whether the financial incentives are strong enough to attract sufficient voluntary participation, noting that the promised 2027 nitrogen-regulation backstop has itself not yet been designed, leaving the scheme's ultimate effectiveness unproven.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — Green Land Fund (Gron Fond) of approximately DKK40 billion (EUR5.4 billion) pays landowners to voluntarily rewet or afforest land through 2032.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Agreement signed June 2024; implementation began November 2024; peatland/afforestation targets set for 2030; a 2027 nitrogen-regulation backstop is planned if voluntary uptake is insufficient.
Staffing & skills
Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (policy lead), Green Tripartite partners: Landbrug & Fodevarer (agricultural sector), Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Local Government Denmark (municipalities)

Conditions for success

  • Broad multi-stakeholder political agreement across government, farming industry and environmental NGOs
  • A large dedicated fund (DKK40bn) to make voluntary participation financially attractive
  • A regulatory backstop (2027 nitrogen rules) intended to ensure targets are met if voluntary uptake falls short

Common failure modes

  • Independent reviewers (Green Transition Denmark) question whether the financial incentives are strong enough to attract sufficient voluntary participation
  • The 2027 regulatory backstop has not yet been designed
  • The scheme remains in an early voluntary-uptake phase (started November 2024) with no measured results yet

Where it fits

Governance type
national multi-stakeholder tripartite agreement with a public fund
Scale
national (Denmark)
Income level
high-income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes LIFE Programme

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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