The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has released a report exploring the need for increased pan-European collaboration on peatland restoration, conservation and sustainable management.
The report summarises the findings of a study to discover how a European network could help overcome action and policy barriers for peatlands.
The aim of the study was to explore whether a government-supported network could “make a real difference” for peatlands and advance the discussions between ministers and experts.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which the NPWS comes under, said: “Peatlands are carbon storage powerhouses, biodiversity champions, and important for climate change and mitigation. Damaged peatlands, however, become significant sources of carbon emissions.”
Ireland’s peatlands, comprising of raised bog, blanket bogs and ferns, are unique on a global and European scale according to the department, with Ireland holding over 50% of the total habitat resource of raised bog, 99.9% of that blanket bog, within the EU Atlantic Biogeographic Zone.
The department says that by rewetting and restoring peatlands, they can be transformed from a carbon emission source into a “healthy carbon sink”.
The NPWS is undertaking a programme of peatland restoration for protected raised bog special areas of conservation (SAC) and natural heritage area (NHA) across the country.
Commenting on the report from the NPWS, Minister of State for heritage and electoral reform Malcolm Noonan said: “With so many challenges surrounding good peatlands conservation, it is important that Ireland and our European and global partners build on the current exchange of knowledge and expertise in this field.”
Minister of State for land use and biodiversity (at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine) Pippa Hackett commented: “The report provides insights into the challenges currently facing European peatlands and the key needs that could be addressed by a European Peatlands Initiative.
“It explores the potential benefits of a government-supported network that could, among other things, drive knowledge exchange on all levels in order to accelerate action on peatlands and help to identify and unlock large-scale funding,” Minister Hackett added.