Restoring raised bogs in Ireland

The Living Bog project is the largest ever EU LIFE-funded raised bog restoration project in Ireland. Implementing hydrological restoration measures on 12 of Ireland’s unique raised bog SACs, restoration on these Natura 2000 sites will improve over 2,600 hectares of threatened raised bog habitat—the equivalent of over 20,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The project provides a wide range of benefits including carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancement, improvements to water quality and regulation of flood flows.

Challenge

It is estimated there has been a 99% loss of the original area of actively growing raised bog in Ireland; however, Ireland is estimated to hold over 50% of the remaining Atlantic raised bog in Europe.

The main pressures to raised bogs are drainage, peat extraction and reclamation for agriculture, with the ongoing loss of raised bog habitat led to the European Commission commencing infringement proceedings against Ireland.

To reverse losses and tackle high rates of greenhouse gas emissions from damaged peatlands, Ireland has commenced a programme of peatland restoration. Living Bog Project, one of the pilot programmes, aimed to undertake restoration as well as raise awareness of the importance of conserving these unique peatland habits.

Our client faced a difficult task of engaging positively with landowners and communicating the benefits of peatland restoration, particularly to those that previously used peatlands as a source of domestic fuel. Unlike several previous projects in Ireland, this project involved the implementation of restoration measures across the entire site on both public and private lands.

Therefore, ensuring that restoration measures were designed appropriately and that potential impacts on adjacent landowners were adequately considered were of key importance.