Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, and Brian Lucas, from National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS ) visited Crosswood Bog, which stretches from Junction 8 on the M6 to Glynwood, to see at first hand the restoration works being carried out by Bord na Móna, as part of the NPWS Raised Bog Restoration Programme.
Crosswood Bog is a special area of conservation and is one of nine raised bogs in the Midlands region that Bord na Móna is project managing and undertaking restoration works on behalf of the NPWS and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to help return over 1800 hectares of bog to favourable conservation status. It is estimated that restoring 1,800 hectares of raised bog, which is being funded under the Carbon Tax Fund, will contribute to Ireland’s climate targets by removing 4,945 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.
Restoration measures on raised bogs usually involves raising water levels close to the bog surface to help restore peat forming conditions and encourage the natural development of Spaghnum mosses which are the building blocks of peat. Peat bogs are unique ecosystems teeming with wildlife. The microscopic plant and animal life living in Sphagnum mosses provide food for all other organisms living in the wet bog including pond skaters, dragonflies, damselflies, caddis flies, mosquitoes, midges, bloodworms, water boatmen, water beetles, water lice, and frogs.
Bord na Móna is undertaking a leadership role in climate action specifically in the area of peatland rehabilitation and carbon sequestration. The company continues to develop and implement best practice measures in terms of rehabilitation and restoration, transforming into a company at the forefront of delivering on government policy and national decarbonisation commitments.
Bord na Móna’s Head of Energy Joe Lane said; “Investment in restoration and rehabilitation of peatlands has enormous benefits for society both in terms of social and natural capital. Today highlights Bord na Móna’s leadership role in climate action specifically in the area of peatland rehabilitation and carbon sequestration. We have worked to develop and implement best practice measures in terms of rehabilitation and restoration, delivering on government policy and national decarbonisation commitments. This programme with NPWS also supports national policy on biodiversity and will be important in changing how we manage and care for our land for a range of native species.”
The restoration programme represents an important component of the Government’s Just Transition Plan by sustaining employment in midlands communities and aiding biodiversity in the region.
In June Bord na Móna suspended peat harvesting and also commenced work on its Enhanced Peatland Rehabilitation Scheme (EPRS ) on its own peatlands. EPRS, which will involve an ongoing programme of works, is the most extensive of its kind ever undertaken in Europe. It is a key part of Bord na Móna’s Brown to Green Strategy that has positioned the company at the forefront of delivering on government policy and national decarbonisation commitments.
