The Role of Bogs in Climate Action

Bogs (otherwise known as Peatlands) are a type of wetland that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material like shrubs. They occur throughout the midlands of Ireland. As a result of this, Bogs have been a stable for Irish Culture for decades, they have even served as inspiration for many artists & poets in the past, such as Seamus Heaney & Patrick McCabe. There are two main types of Bogs in Ireland. These are Blanket Bogs and Raised Bogs. The amazing thing about bogs is they are not only a vital element of Irish culture, but they are also key components in the fight against Climate Change.

In their natural state peatlands act as long-term sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. What does this mean for the planet?

This means they collect carbon from the air, and then store it. This is a natural method of Carbon Sequestration (the process of he process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide) which has occurred for thousands of years.

Raised bogs are especially important stores of Carbon, they are also beautiful landscapes with unique biodiversity. Because of this, in the past, they have been harvested for fuel, however nowadays a lot of them are being used for recreational purposes. Thankfully, they are now also being preserved by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Government Agency). Between 1997 and 2002, Ireland nominated a total of 53 raised bog sites for designation as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the Habitats Directive. Then, in 2004 75 raised bogs were designated as Natural Heritage Areas.

You can see in the above image (taken by Paul Caldwell, from our Cloudforests Endurance Team) the Jamestown Bog in Navan, this is one of a few raised bogs left in Ireland.

Paul leads our CloudForest Endurance team, he is one Ireland’s leading endurance bikers and we are delighted to have him and the CloudForest Endurance team on board as one of our CloudForests Community Teams.

If you’d like to hear more from Paul & the Cloudforests Endurance Team, follow this link to our Facebook Page or click here to have a look at our Instagram.