A former commercially harvested bog in Co. Tyrone is set to be transformed into a demonstration hub for peatland restoration.
The project will involve 30ha of “severely degraded habitat” in Haughey’s Bog in Omagh being restored, equivalent to 74 football pitches.
The first-of-its-kind initiative for Northern Ireland is being led by local nature conservation charity Ulster Wildlife and the An Creagán Centre.
The team is hoping to help “bring nature back, improve water quality, reduce flood risk, and tackle climate change”.
Bog
Over the next decade, Ulster Wildlife said that it will rewet and rejuvenate Haughey’s Bog, which was previously drained and cut for turf.
The charity will trial different restoration methods, including using dams and bunds in strategic areas.
The interventions will help trap water on the bog, allowing peat-forming plants to grow again and wildlife to recover, as well as reducing carbon emissions and moving the site towards carbon storage.
Monitoring the water table, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, along with monitoring plants such as sphagnum mosses, and wildlife such as snipe and large heath butterfly, will help assess the effectiveness of restoration.
The aim of the project is to share knowledge and learning with practitioners, farmers, contractors and researchers facing similar challenges in peatland landscapes.
Restoration
Simon Gray, head of peatland recovery at Ulster Wildlife, said: “Peatlands are Northern Ireland’s greatest natural asset, holding over half of our land-based carbon stores, filtering masses of water and providing a vital haven for iconic wildlife.
“However, over 80% of them are in poor condition, with the worst, like Haughey’s Bog – dried out, devoid of life, and leaking tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere,” he said.
“Restoring peatlands to a healthy condition is one of the most cost-effective nature-based solutions to tackling the nature and climate crises, but it needs to happen on a large scale and at pace.
“Collaboration and landscape-scale projects are crucial, and we are excited to be leading the way at Haughey’s Bog, educating and sharing best practices in peatland restoration to help transform these vital habitats across the country,” Gray added.
Plans are already underway to connect Haughey’s Bog with Black Bog Special Area of Conservation (SAC), one of the most intact areas of active raised bog in Northern Ireland, located just 100m away.
Ulster Wildlife is also working with Forest Service Northern Ireland to explore options for converting the conifer plantations, which separate the two sites, back into their natural bog habitat.
Training
Events and training days will be delivered at the nearby An Creagán Centre to engage local landowners and the community in peatland restoration and to share the rich heritage of the area.
John Donaghey, manager of the An Creagán Centre, said the restoration of Haughey’s Bog into a thriving ecosystem will be an important milestone.
“This initiative has great potential to develop an ethos of valuing the fragmented remnants of raised bog and the local heritage in this area while supporting local farmers with advice, training and mentorship in this important habitat restoration work,” he said.
The acquisition of Haughey’s Bog was made possible through funding from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), a philanthropic loan from John Smith, and donations by Ulster Wildlife supporters who left gifts in their wills.