peatlands 1 taitto.indd - International Peat Society

of peatlands within the Irish public in
general and how the contribution of
peatlands in social, economic and environmental
terms can be characterised
by indicators over time. This will be
done through 1) the examination of
communities linked to peatland areas,
rural development, archaeology and
culture and tourism; 2) the economic
valuation of resource uses, market and
non-market values including carbon
sink, and 3) the appraisal of relevant
policies. In addition, an in-depth case
study will be carried out in an area
largely dominated by industrial cutaway
peatlands with a view to producing a
blueprint on community and stakeholder
involvement in the future of
peatlands.
Project activities
The fi rst activity of the project was to
set up a stratifi ed sampling programme
representing all types of peatlands
found in Ireland. Four representative
sites were identifi ed among the following
categories: lowland/Atlantic
blanket bogs, mountain blanket bogs,
raised bogs and fens with cutaway
peatlands forming an added category
where certain studies will be carried
out to supplement already existing
projects. 2 Where possible, studies will
be replicated in both ‘natural’ and ‘degraded’
areas within the same peatland.
This will help assessing the impact of
activities such as turf-cutting and afforestation
as well as considering the
2 See Carbal and Bogfor projects at
www.ucd.ie/ferg/research/.
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effects of restoration or rehabilitation,
for example where drains have been
blocked.
The project is multi-disciplinary
and brings together the expertise from
different organisations around Ireland.
The project also benefi ts from the
contribution of experts from several
countries through an international
steering committee.
BOGLAND is supported by the
Environmental RTDI Programme
2000-2006, fi nanced by the Irish Government
under the National Development
Plan and administered on behalf
of the Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government
by the Environmental Protection
Agency. “Peatlands are one of our
key natural resources and I welcome
the commencement of this research
project which will develop a protocol
for the sustainable management
of peatlands in Ireland. The unique
approach of this integrated project in
examining the environmental, economic,
social and institutional issues facing
Irish peatland promises to deliver a
valuable blueprint for the protection
of this important ecosystem” said
Mary Kelly, EPA Director, Ireland.
The major outputs of this project
will be presented in 2008 coinciding
with the 13 th International Peatland
Congress which will take place in
Ireland. �
Florence Renou
Project Manager
School of Biology and Environmental
Science
University College Dublin, Ireland
e-mail: fl orence.renou@ucd.ie
www.ucd.ie/bogland
If you are a member of the IPS and wish to know about
the activities of the “peat family” on a more regular basis
than by reading Peatlands International, we invite you to
order our monthly e-mail newsletter Peat News.
You can send a request including your e-mail address to
ips@peatsociety.org. The subscription is included in the
membership fee. Peat News is sent out at the end of each
month to about 1,030 IPS members. The latest issue can
also be found at www.peatsociety.org. �
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The International Peat Society
is open to all individuals and
organisations dealing with peat
and peatlands. We would be
glad to welcome you within the
“peat family”.
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Secretariat. For € 42 for individual,
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for corporate members annually
you will enjoy the full benefi ts of
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More information is available at
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Membership benefits
access to the events of the
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such as meetings, workshops,
congresses and symposia
signifi cant discount on registration
fees
free subscription of the
magazine “Peatlands International”,
published twice annually
and containing about
60 pages of reports from
peat and peatland events,
research results, background
stories etc.
free subscription of the
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“Peat News”
access to publications on
peat and peatland business,
research and related fi elds
networking opportunities with
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in peat and peatland science
and industry
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