Ireland holds 50% of all raised bogs in Atlantic region of NW Europe (Foss et al., 2001) and because raised bogs are rare in both global and European terms, the European Union has a special responsibility for their conservation. There are 53 raised bog sites in Ireland, which are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). The legal basis on which SACs are selected and designated is the EU Habitats Directive, transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477 of 2011), as amended. Special Areas of conservation are used to protect both species and habitats that are rare threatened at a European level and the EU habitats Directive lists certain habitats (in Article 17, Annex I) that must be conserved (and restored) where necessary.

Annex I of the Habitats Directive contains four habitat types that are commonly associated with raised bogs:

• Active raised bogs (ARB)

• Degraded raised bogs (DRB) still capable of natural regeneration

• Bog woodland

• Depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion.

In addition to the SAC’s, 75 raised bogs in Ireland have been designated as Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) under the Wildlife Acts. Under this act there is a requirement for Ministerial consent before undertaking potentially damaging activities such as turf-cutting, drainage work etc.

To achieve national and site-specific conservation for raised bogs in Ireland it was necessary to implement measures to protect, restore and increase the area and condition of the designated area of raised bogs. The NPWS Protected Raised Bog Restoration Programme continues to implement restoration measures across the raised bog SAC and NHA networks. From 2018 to 2022, the total area (in hectares) of restoration works completed increased from 617 in 2018 to 4177 by the end of 2022.  (These figures include restoration measures implemented by the EU LIFE, Raised Bog Project, also known as ‘The Living Bog’, which ran from 2016 to 2022). More information of raised bog restoration can be found here:

https://www.npws.ie/peatlands-and-turf-cutting/management-plans https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/fp/fp-eap/ecosystemaccounts-peatlandsandheathlands2018/restorationandrehabilitationofpeatlands/

More information of raised bog restoration can be found here:

https://www.npws.ie/peatlands-and-turf-cutting/management-plans

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/fp/fp-eap/ecosystemaccounts-peatlandsandheathlands2018/restorationandrehabilitationofpeatlands/

References:

Connolly and Holden 2009: Mapping peat soils in Ireland: updating the derived Irish peat map