The first raised-bog restoration and peatland rewetting project, Shanakyle Bog Restoration, located near Parteen in Co. Clare has recently been completed.

Project lead, Barry O’Loughlin and the main landowner of the drained bog, Catherine Ní Ciardha, formed the Shanakyle Bog Restoration Group in early 2021.

The aim of the project was to halt biodiversity loss and combat climate change, specifically carbon emissions from peatlands, and to address these issues at farm and community level.

Ní Ciardha and O’Loughlin stated:

“It is our hope that other landowners, farmers and communities across the country will adopt a similar project.”

The project received €55,000 in funding under the Rural Development Programme of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) model.

Rewetting peatland

The majority of peatlands are degraded due to activities in relation to peat extraction and drainage, O’Loughlin said.

When a bog is drained, water levels drop, the bog consequently “dries out” and over time, sphagnum moss – the main peat forming agent of active raised bogs – disappears, he explained.

Peat dams, peat bunds and overflow pipes were installed on the 30ac of raised bog habitat and drains were blocked to raise water levels. The measures taken resulted in mini bog pools, which fill up with sphagnum mosses and make the bog active again.

Shanakyle bog in Co. Clare

The restoration and rewetting work started in October and finished in December, to avoid disturbance to birds during the bird nesting season in the winter months.

Storing carbon

Generally, 1m in depth of peatland can store approximately 400t of carbon/ha. Even degraded bogs that are emitting carbon can still store a significant amount in underlying peat, according to O’Loughlin.

Almost immediately after rewetting a bog, sphagnum moss and bog vegetation colonises and the process of absorbing carbon back into the peat begins. Meanwhile, carbon emission is slowed down.

As part of previous work as an ecologist with Bord na Móna, bog Moyarwood in Co. Galway was partly rewetted and a following five-year study measured carbon emission and sequestration, which was then compared to a drained section.

The study found that the drained bog section released 1.57t of carbon/ha/year to the atmosphere compared to the rewetted part which sequestrated 0.78t of carbon/ha/year back into the bog.

O’Loughlin expects the same to happen to the Shanakyle bog. Referring to their carbon sink function, he said peatlands are like “the lungs of Ireland“.

Biodiversity

Ní Ciardha said the first advantage of this peatland project is to promote biodiversity within the local community. She added that the bog will be monitored, including its biodiversity, and hopes it will help people to take on similar projects.

To positively affect biodiversity of the bog, bird nest boxes and bat roost boxes were recently installed in bog woodland and mature oak treelines will be ready for birds and bats by spring.

The project also included the creation of a wildlife pond; bird nest boxes for protected species, including the barn owl and kestrel; invasive species eradication; and wildflower meadow creation.

To create a wildflower meadow for pollinators such as bees, butterflies and moths, grass stocking rates on the 16ac of adjoining grassland were managed without the use of fertiliser or pesticides.

Project lead O’Loughlin and land owner Ní Ciardha will conduct vegetation surveys every five years to assess changes to vegetation and monitor sphagnum cover. They also hope to carry out potential research with the University of Limerick (UL).