Biomass comes in many different forms and has a wide variety of applications. Examples are the use of timber in the furniture industry, residues in energy production, and fibre in the garment industry. In other words, it is an extremely versatile raw material. However, the biogeographical spaces that provide these inputs are used with varying degrees of intensity, sometimes with adverse consequences. As you may be aware, I live in the Darmstadt area and am very familiar with the Pfungstädter Moor, a great example of the successful conservation of precious peatlands. Peat was still being extracted for fuel here as late as the 1950s, and reeds were still being cut for use as a roofing material. Today, much of the peatland has been restored to a natural state and provides a habitat for numerous native species of bird and plant.
This is just one small example, but it shows that…
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