Two projects will help to restore peatlands
Enya, Danny, Simon and Ian Alvey, founders of ReWild Wicklow, on a recent hike in the Wicklow Mountains National Park
The ReWild Wicklow Group has welcomed two restoration projects of peatlands in the Wicklow Mountains but feel the State still needs to do more.
The ReWild Wicklow Group started a petition in February urging the Government to focus on rewilding Wicklow Mountains National Parks with native woodland and move away from Sitka plantations which choke native wildlife.
National Biodiversity Week saw two announcements in relation to the restoration of peatlands in the Wicklow Mountains.
Luggala Estate Limited is committing to undertake a peatland restoration initiative across its extensive upland bog and heathland, aiming to restore the habitats across 1,300 hectares of peatland in the Wicklow Mountains over several years thereby starting its response towards the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
There has been extensive drainage of peatlands over a long number of years in an effort to improve grazing or to prepare land for forestry.
This has significantly affected the hydrology and integrity of the peatlands in those areas, with the habitats drying out. The added pressure of grazing by deer and sheep also dramatically affected its condition from a habitats perspective.
Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform and Lisa Harlow, Stakeholder Relations Manager, Intel Ireland in the Wicklow Mountains National Park for the launch of a bog restoration project to increase water storage by millions of litres. Pic: Marc O'Sullivan
'This is an ambitious project that will take many years to complete. We will start with detailed ecological and hydrological studies, then focus on a target of restoring 150 hectares of blanket bog and improve heathland management on a further 150 hectares of wet and dry heath,' said Anthony Blanchfield, Environment Manager at Luggala.
'We know the important role bogs play in carbon sequestration and by rewetting and restoring the peatland habitats on Luggala we can make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and make a response to biodiversity loss,' he said.
The National and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is planning to restore bogs in the Wicklow Mountains to increase the water supply to the Greater Dublin Area (GDA).
A total of 60 hectares of blanket bogs are expected to be re-wetted by the NPWS, which is expected to increase water storage levels in parts of the River Liffey headwaters by between 50 to 90 million litres.
These headwaters supply the Poulaphouca (Blessington) reservoir, a drinking water source for the Greater Dublin Area. The bog restoration will also protect biodiversity, improve carbon storage, and is likely to improve water quality.
There is an estimated 4,000 hectares of degraded blanket bog in the National Park. Degraded blanket bog is caused by a range of land use activities including drainage. It is much more susceptible to damage from extreme weather events such as intense rainfall and extended periods of drought, which are projected to occur more frequently with climate change.
The project, to be overseen by the NPWS, is due to commence in this summer. Indicative results and data from the project should be available in 2022.
Danny Alvey of the ReWild Wicklow Group has welcomed both projects but feels the State should invest more into rewetting additional bogs.
He said: 'Luggala has committed to restoring 1,300 hectares of degraded peatlands on their estate over several years, a very ambitious and welcome step for carbon capture and biodiversity. They are also planning to improve heathland management which is very important habitat for endangered birds.'
'NPWS, in partnership with Intel, are planning a similar project to rewet 60 hectares of bog near the River Liffey headwaters. Alongside increased water levels, the NPWS say that the rewetting will help "protect biodiversity, improve carbon storage, and is likely to improve water quality."
'We also welcome the NPWS initiative as a good start, but with 4,000 hectares of degraded bog across the Wicklow Mountains we think the State needs to be more ambitious and invest more in this project.
'We already know that rewetted bogs are amongst the best habitat for carbon capture and so Ireland has a big opportunity to improve its carbon balance by investing in rewetting now.
'Once again when it comes to the Wicklow Mountains it is projects on private land, whether that be bog or native woodland restoration, that are leading the way and often the surrounding public land is in much worse condition.'