Our recently published new report illustrates how important habitats for carbon, water and wildlife across Northern Ireland benefit from the restoration of degraded peatlands.
The report, published by JNCC and produced for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), reviews the latest evidence on peatland management actions.
Peatlands are important for a range of ecosystem services, including carbon storage, flood prevention and filtration of water. They are also crucial for supporting rare and specialised biodiversity such as the Round-leaved Sundew plant and Hen Harriers. Northern Ireland's peatlands cover up to 24.6% of its land area but many have been damaged by turf cutting, drainage, overgrazing and pollution.
The new report finds that most restoration actions (including rewetting and raising water levels, controlling non-peatland vegetation and restoring peatland vegetation) have positive effects on carbon storage, reducing soil erosion, improving water quality and restoring biodiversity. However, restoration takes time: in most cases, more than ten years are needed before improvements stabilise.
The findings make clear that protecting intact peatland must remain the immediate priority, while long-term, sustained restoration work is essential for degraded sites.
The report supports Northern Ireland's Peatland Strategy goal that all peatland habitats will be conserved, restored or appropriately managed by 2040.
Northern Ireland's agri-environment schemes (the Environmental Farming Scheme and Farming with Nature scheme) present opportunities for delivery of peatland restoration. The effectiveness of management actions, highlighted in this report, will be key to effective design and implementation of such schemes and to ensure successful delivery of environmental benefits.
A DAERA spokesperson stated: "The findings of the report make it clear that protecting intact peatland must remain the immediate priority. In the longer-term, sustained restoration work is essential for degraded sites, to support the goal in Northern Ireland's Peatland Strategy, that all peatland habitats will be conserved, restored or appropriately managed by 2040."
Find out more in JNCC Report 828 (Peatland Impact Assessment: Effects of Management Actions on Achieving Environmental Aims).
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