Peatlands are vital economic and ecological resources which contribute to biological, landscape and cultural diversity. There are a wide range of threats to peatlands requiring urgent national and international action. The Central European Peatland Project (CEPP) was established to ensure that the natural heritage of peatlands would not be lost during a challenging period of economic transition, stabilisation and growth. It involved 8 countries in the Baltic-Black Sea corridor: Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland and the Ukraine (a region that still harbours large peatland areas which are virtually extinct elsewhere). This publication will help inform all concerned to achieve better governance, and thereby management and conservation, for peatlands in Central Europe.