A west Clare farmer has rewetted peatland in conjunction with Clare County Council as part of the Knocknahila Bog Peatland Rewetting Project.In the project, a blanket bog - home to two rare and protected birds, the merlin and hen harrier - is being rewetted to provide a wildlife sanctuary for rare habitats and species of conservation concern.
A west Clare farmer has rewetted peatland in conjunction with Clare County Council as part of the Knocknahila Bog Peatland Rewetting Project.
In the project, a blanket bog - home to two rare and protected birds, the merlin and hen harrier - is being rewetted to provide a wildlife sanctuary for rare habitats and species of conservation concern.
The project was funded through the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s (NPWS) local biodiversity action fund and Clare County Council’s biodiversity office at a total combined cost of €24,000.
As a community-led initiative, there was no payments made to the farmer. However, the cost of the work is covered through the funding.
Landowner Seán Tubridy said that rewetting allows the bog to grow a variety of mosses and plants, which sequesters carbon and also improves the environment for birds to roost, nest and feed.
Hen harriers are found mainly in Laois, Tipperary, Cork, Clare, Limerick, Galway, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Donegal and Kerry. \ Birdwatch Ireland
“We have 27ac of cut-away bog that we did not want to plant in forestry,” he said.
“We hope that this project can be used as an example for other farmers who have a similar size farm set up as ourselves and rather than planting, to rewet bogs to improve conditions for biodiversity. Our cattle still graze grassland around the edge of the bog. We welcome farmers to come and see for themselves.”
Knocknahila
The Knocknahila Bog Peatland Rewetting Project involves rewetting sections of a blanket bog near Mullagh, Co Clare, and is the first community-led peatland rewetting project to be undertaken in west Clare.
In June 2023, it was decided that Mr Tubridy’s bog was suitable for rewetting and the Knocknahila Community Biodiversity Group was founded by the local community.
The group was successful in acquiring funding to conduct hydrological surveys by RPS Group and Blackthorn Ecology, which ensured neighbouring lands were not affected and that all boundary drains remained open.
The local authority’s biodiversity officer Barry O’Loughlin said that this project showcases to farmers where even light touches can make a big difference without causing any impact to neighbouring lands.
“For these projects to be successful, you have to work with farmers and listen to them, as they know the land better than anyone else and understand the history of the site and drainage, which is what we did here at Knocknahila.”
Actions
The implementation of the project involved the installation of peat dams within open drains to raise the water level for sphagnum moss to establish itself.
A network of peat bunds, which act like low barriers to hold water on the bog, were also installed to rewet discreet sections of the bog.
As a result of this work, Knocknahila Bog is now supporting the expansion of the rare peatland habitat known as an active blanket bog.
The work, carried out by peatland contractor Kevin Farrell and overseen by the council’s biodiversity officer, resulted in the creation of this new reconfigured habitat for dragonflies, damselflies, frogs and smooth newts, plus snipe, hen harrier and merlin.
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