peatlands 1 taitto.indd - International Peat Society

BOGLAND - A Protocol for Wise
Use and Sustainable Management of
Peatlands in Ireland
In 2005, a three-year project
named “BOGLAND” was
initiated by the Irish
Environmental Protection
Agency and is being led by
University College Dublin.
The overall objectives of the BOG-
LAND project are:
• To quantify the main features of
the peatland resource, notably
extent and volume, biodiversity,
hydrology, carbon balance and
contribution to greenhouse gas
fl uxes;
• To assess vulnerability to environmental
pressures and threats
arising out of various kinds of
exploitation (drainage, mining,
forestry, energy, agriculture etc.);
• To assess socio-cultural, economic,
institutional and policy issues;
• To integrate and synthesise the results
of literature-based and fi eld
studies and;
Diagram A: BOGLAND project structure.
Ballygasheen lowland blanket bog, Co. Kerry.
Text and photos: Florence Renou
• To develop a protocol for the
wise use and sustainable manage-
Wise use of Irish peatlands
ment of the peatland resource in While the area of Ireland covered by
Ireland.
peat is considerable (over 16%), much
of this has been extensively modifi
ed by man. Peat
has been used in
Ireland since prehistoric
times but
since the advent
of industrial peat
extraction, the
process has accelerated
and within a
few decades most
of the larger raised
bogs in the Irish
midlands will have
been exploited.
It is crucial
that appropriate
measures be put in
place to promote
the wise use of
remaining peatland
resources, to ensure
that adequate
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