The Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) has urged the public to join them for scrub management on Lodge Bog, Co. Kildare this World Wetlands Day (Friday, February 2).
World Wetlands Day is celebrated to raise awareness about wetlands and their importance, contributing to biodiversity, climate mitigation, freshwater availability and much more.
This Friday the IPCC will be carrying out habitat management on Lodge Bog, an important task which involves the clearing of scrub from the outer margins of the reserve.
If left unmanaged, the encroaching scrub would lead to water loss from the bog. Anyone interested in joining is asked to meet at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre (R51V293) at 10:00a.m.
The IPCC advises visitors to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the event. Equipment will be provided by the IPCC.
Word Wetlands Day
Wetlands are areas of land that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally. They include marshes, lakes, rivers, floodplains, estuaries and peatlands.
Nearly 90% of the worlds wetlands have faced degradation since the 1700s. With Ireland’s high annual rainfall, 20% of the island of Ireland is classified as wetland habitat, the IPCC said.
Ireland is one of 160 contracting parties to the Convention on Wetlands which first convened in Ramsar, Iran in 1971, and is since called the “Ramsar Convention”, according to the IPCC.
Irish peatlands are of national and international importance, however, many of Irelands peatlands are now significantly degraded, the IPCC said.
Water loss from a peatland can limit the growth of Sphagnum mosses, affect the breeding and feeding of peatland biodiversity, and cause peatlands to emit greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Frog survey
People can become “citizen scientists” by recording observations of frog spawn, tadpoles, juvenile or adult frogs under the national 2024 “Hop To It” Frog Survey on the IPCC website.
“Frogs are biological indicators to pollution, so monitoring their population gives us a better understanding of changes within our environment,” the IPCC said.
In spring, frogs will be emerging from hibernation and making their way to suitable breeding sites where they will lay their eggs, also known as frog spawn.
The eggs will hatch into tadpoles and live within water until their legs and lungs have fully developed and they can continue their life cycle as adults on land.