EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 5: Land and Soil Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2019 (Government of Ireland, 2019) includes actions to implement peatland conservation measures. It aims to restore 22,107 hectares of raised bog habitat to directly reduce or halt carbon loss. It is due for delivery by 2035. The National Peatlands Strategy (DAHG, 2015a) is the key national plan responsible for the management and conservation of peatlands. It estimates that our peatlands store approximately 1566 million tonnes of carbon, representing about 64 per cent of the total soil organic carbon stock present in Ireland. It aims to restore, protect and manage our peatlands and the benefits they provide us. It reports that only 10 per cent of the original raised bogs and 28 per cent of the original blanket peatlands are deemed suitable for conservation (as natural peatlands). However, even where restoration is not possible, it is important to improve the management of peatlands to reduce or eliminate carbon losses and to restore at least some of their other ecosystem services. The EPA-funded VAPOR project (Renou-Wilson and Wilson, 2018) has improved our understanding of the links between the climate, hydrology, ecology and greenhouse gas interactions of peatlands. This research identified a need for a national plan to manage and maintain water table levels in natural and rewetted peatlands. Doing so could help sustain the ecosystem and climate-related services provided by peatlands, even in circumstances where full restoration is not practicable. Drained peatlands, previously used for agriculture and peat extraction, could be targeted for rewetting to prevent greenhouse gas emissions in the future. The need to rewet our peatlands, where feasible, was also acknowledged by the Joint Committee on Climate Action (Houses of the Oireachtas, 2019). Bord na Móna Peatland Rehabilitation/ Restoration Activities Rehabilitation works are required for licensed Bord na Móna extraction activities, as part of their EPA licences. As part of Bord na Móna’s peatland restoration programme, the company reports having restored over 1200 hectares of raised bog at 12 different sites, including areas that had not been fully brought into peat production. A further 1000 hectares of restoration works are also under way, although not all cutaway bogs are suitable for restoration. Other land uses may be considered in these cases, for example wind or solar farms. In 2016, Bord na Móna launched its Biodiversity Action Plan 2016- 2021 to support ongoing restoration, rehabilitation and management activities (BNM, 2016). The company reviews this plan’s progress every year. The 2018 review noted its progress in rehabilitating former peat production areas: 15,000 hectares had been rehabilitated, with a further 1250 hectares in the process of being rehabilitated. 111