In the summer of 2024, the LIFE IP Peatlands and People project donated Sphagnum moss plugs to Green Restoration Ireland to facilitate the enhanced restoration of peatland habitats in Ireland’s midlands.

The donation of 6,400 plugs, containing eight different species of Sphagnum, will allow Green Restoration Ireland to conduct enhanced restoration work on about 3 hectares of peatland on farms in west County Offaly.

Healthy peatlands are climate heroes which provide a host of ecosystem services to society in many ways including by acting as long-term carbon stores, providing habitats for rare, native biodiversity, preventing droughts and floods, and delivering clean drinking water to surrounding regions. Peatlands are also central to Ireland’s cultural and archaeological heritage and are important spaces for wellbeing.

Ireland has a high proportion of the remaining intact peatlands in Europe, but much of Ireland’s peatlands are in various states of degradation, which impacts the essential ecosystem services that they provide. In order to continue to function as resilient habitats which serve society, peatlands must be restored and rehabilitated.

When peatlands are restored, first the natural water flow of the land should be adjusted by processes such as blocking drainage channels which will minimise carbon emissions and allow for the eventual regrowth of peat. Restored peatlands are more resilient and can deliver their full range of ecosystem services.

Sphagnum moss are keystone species in peatland ecosystems. Research shows that planting Sphagnum moss on rewetted peatland can accelerate the restoration process, reverting the landscape to a healthy, resilient state in much shorter time frames.

As part of the restoration activities in Pillar 1 of LIFE IP Peatlands and People, project coordinator Bord na Móna has commenced the planting of Sphagnum moss on rewetted peatlands which were formerly used for industrial peat extraction. The rewetting of these peatlands was carried out through Bord na Móna’s Peatland Climate Action Scheme (PCAS). By planting Sphagnum moss on suitable areas of rewetted peatland, the aim is to accelerate revegetation on top of the peat, and ultimately restore peatlands as resilient ecosystems and carbon sinks.

Speaking about the donation to Green Restoration Ireland, Peatlands and People coordinator Arthur Devine, Bord na Móna said, “This initiative is great for the Peatlands and People project as it satisfies the dual aims to accelerate regrowth of Irish peatlands and extend knowledge and capability of Sphagnum planting in Ireland.”

Douglas McMillan, Green Restoration Ireland said “This very welcome donation from Bord na Mona will speed up the restoration of several peatland sites on farms at the heart of the Farm Carbon project”.