Today we’re going to hear why Ireland’s bogs and peatlands are so important to our biodiversity.
Peatlands are home to a high proportion of Ireland’s biodiversity. Depending on how we manage our peatlands they can contribute to Ireland’s biodiversity emergency or they can support biodiversity mitigation plans. In Clare, a number of projects have been undertaken in recent years to rewet bogs that were originally drained to facilitate turf cutting. Catherine Ni Ciardha is a landowner at Shanakyle, Parteen. She rewetted about 30 acres of raised bog as part of the ‘Shanakyle Bog Restoration Project’. Meanwhile, not far from Shanakyle is Springfield, Clonlara where Feargal Marron is a part-time farmer.
Also working alongside Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer, in 2023, the presence of Marsh Fritillary Butterfly larval webs was confirmed at his bog, known local as his ’Sheedy’s Bog’. Feargal applied for funding to commission a habitat management plan to enhance the marsh fritillary population by addressing scrub encroachment on the bog and looking at grazing stocking levels. His work is supported by Clare County Council’s Biodiversity office and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
For more on climate change, listen in to Clare FM for our next episode on August 1st and check out https://www.clare.fm/ours-to-protect/.
Ours to Protect brought to you by Clare FM, the IBI and funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the Television Licence Fee
