The largest plan in the history of the State to restore thousands of acres of bogland in the midlands will form a core element of the Government’s strategy to cut the State’s carbon emissions in half by 2030.
Once restored, the lands will include peat-forming bogs and a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands and native woodlands, enhancing biodiversity and contributing to the target of making Ireland carbon neutral by 2050.
The plan will be backed by €108 million from the State and €18 million from Bord na Móna, and the lands will be restored using a wide array of engineering and ecology works to encourage and accelerate natural processes, the climate action plan says.
Returning peatlands to a natural state will protect the existing storage of 100 million tonnes worth of carbon, while restoration will ensure that 3.3 million tonnes more of carbon will be stored in the bogs than would otherwise happen.
EU backing
Work will be begin on restoring 4,400 hectares of protected raised bogs in the midlands, backed by €10 million of European Union funding that will seek to show to local people the benefits to be won from protecting the bogs.
A seven-year project will also be launched to engage the community with the benefits of peatland restoration, while a Peatlands Knowledge Centre of Excellence will lay down best practices.
Green industries will be encouraged across the midlands, including the creation of renewable energy hubs. Support for biomass and anaerobic digestion in the midlands through the Just Transition Fund is promised, too.
Meanwhile, a major effort will be made to encourage opportunities to develop tourism, outdoor and recreation amenities, partly drawing on the region’s green credentials created by the bogs.