Restoring Peatlands

Green Sod’s site at Meenletterbale, Co. Donegal includes around 7.5 acres of peatlands, which we have been working to preserve by improving water retention and reducing erosion. But in order to understand why we are doing so, it is important to understand what peatlands are and why they matter for biodiversity and the climate.

On first glance, a peatland may not look like much more than some waterlogged land covered by some small plants. However, this unassuming ecosystem has a very important role to play in protecting our climate and preserving biodiversity. Peatlands make up less than 3% of the earth’s surface, but have a massive role to play in carbon sequestration, storing twice as much carbon as all the world’s standing forests. This is possible because the waterlogged conditions in peatlands prevent plant material from fully decomposing, leading to an accumulation of organic material and carbon over time. Most of Ireland’s peatlands formed between 4,000 and 7,000 years ago, and have been accumulating and storing carbon ever since. However, when peatlands are drained, the organic material dries out and oxidizes to form CO2, releasing the stored carbon to the atmosphere, where it contributes to climate change.

Some important facts about the current state of peatlands:

Globally, around 16% of peatlands have been drained.
In Ireland, however, nearly 80% of peatlands have been drained, leaving only around 20% intact.
Around half of endangered bird species in Ireland rely on peatlands, and 26% of Ireland’s animal species rely on peatlands at some point in their life cycle.

These figures help illustrate the important role these remaining peatlands play for carbon sequestration and biodiversity and why they are vital to protect and restore where possible.

Peatlands also benefit humans, by helping manage bodies of water. Peatlands prevent both floods and droughts, as they store water when there is an excess supply, and release water in dry weather, ensuring that streams and rivers have consistent water flows. Furthermore, peatlands help purify water by removing sediments, pollutants, and nutrients. This is especially relevant in Ireland, given that 68% of Ireland’s drinking water comes from peatlands.

Peatlands in Ireland
Peatlands and peat soil cover around 20% of Ireland’s land area, however much of this has been degraded due to peat extraction and draining for agriculture and forestry. Peatlands have also been damaged by overgrazing and invasive species, such as rhododendron. This degradation has serious consequences for the climate, as while healthy peatlands absorb large quantities of carbon, degraded peatlands release the carbon they have stored over thousands of years. Because of this, degraded peatlands in Ireland emit around 21.6 million tonnes of CO2 each year. In comparison, in 2023 the transportation sector in Ireland was responsible for 11.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, and the energy sector was responsible for 7.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to the EPA.

Graph showing carbon emissions by source (damaged peatlands, transportation, energy) in Ireland

Damage to peatlands also harms biodiversity as these are unique ecosystems which contain certain species not found in other habitats. Ireland’s peatlands are unique to the region as well, as Ireland contains 99.9% of the blanket bog found in the EU Atlantic Biogeographic region, and 50% of raised bog, however much of these ecosystems in Ireland have been severely degraded or destroyed.

Green Sod’s Work to Restore Peatlands
Part of Green Sod’s land site at Meenletterbale, Donegal consists of an upland blanket bog, which spans around 3 hectares. Unfortunately, this peatland is currently showing signs of drying out and appears to have been cut for turf in the past. In order to restore this peatland, we have undertaken a number of steps to help raise the water table and maintain this blanket bog. We began by commissioning a hydrological study of the site, so that we can understand the water flows in and out of this site, especially as it supplies water to the Long Glen River and Lough Nastackan stream. This survey involves installing a series of rain gauges, standpipes, and pressure gauges, which will provide data on water levels and movement. We are also working on recording vegetation, mapping the peatland, and measuring peat depths to get a comprehensive understanding of this ecosystem. Through this work to better understand the ecology of this site, we were able to identify several internal drains, which allow water to escape the peatland and cause it to dry out further. To address this, we installed some timber dams to block internal drains, which will help the peatlands retain water by slowing down its flow.

Volunteers installing a timber dam at the peatland

We have also taken steps to reprofile the peat hag in order to prevent erosion and release of stored carbon. A peat hag is an exposed section of peat at a steep angle, essentially a tiny cliff which exposes the peat to the open air. By reprofiling it, we remove the exposed region by converting this cliff into a more gradual slope (around 30-35 degrees), which means that the peat itself is then covered by vegetation and not as susceptible to erosion and decomposition. You can read more about the process of peat hag reprofiling here. This restoration work is made possible by the support and collaboration of the Inishowen Rivers Trust, the University of Galway Geography Department, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Wild Atlantic Nature.

We are also introducing conservation grazing at this site, as when a site is properly grazed this can increase species diversity and reduce fire risk in a peatland. When a site is overgrazed, new growth is presented and species diversity declines, leading to a lack of vegetation, exposing and damaging peat. However, undergrazing can also cause problems, specifically by allowing a few species to become dominant, and excess dead vegetation can build up and pose a fire risk.

Green Sod also uses this site for educational events, such as to teach local school children about the importance of these ecosystems, and to serve as a model for local farmers of what restored peatland looks like and demonstrate its benefits.

Future of Peatlands
While there are still significant issues with ongoing destruction and degradation of peatlands, there are also some promising developments, such as the work being done to research and promote paludiculture. Paludiculture refers to the use of wet/rewetted peatlands for productive agriculture, in ways that preserve the peat and therefore minimize CO2 emissions. This preserves the stored carbon, and can even add to it by sequestering additional carbon, while also enabling the land to be used for agriculture. While this is not a perfect solution, as human activity can still lead to reduced levels of biodiversity and lower rates of carbon sequestration, this is still greatly preferable to degraded, drained peatlands which become a major source of carbon emissions. Possible crops for paludiculture include blueberries, cranberries, sphagnum moss, reeds, and others. Researchers believe that the economic implications of paludiculture are quite significant, as they estimate that paludiculture could produce an income of up to €33,000 per hectare annually. The EU is currently funding paludiculture projects and research, including €10 million for Project Demos which is being led by the University of Galway in collaboration with 26 European partners and 8 other universities. This is very important research as one crucial part of preserving Irish peatlands is restoring peatlands on farms. Peatlands play an incredibly important role in preserving biodiversity and protecting our climate, and it’s crucial that we work together to protect them.

Special thanks to all the organisations that support Green Sod’s peatland restoration work: