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Managing peatlands for conservation and for helping to adapt to climate change is something that we must act upon now. Despite sounding daunting, some easy measures can be put in place to help. Here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. Stop cutting and burning turf
This is the most important of all of the aspects of management for conservation and climate change adaptation. Turf cutting and burning is releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. It also destroys the peatland habitat and its wildlife by removing it. It must be phased out and greener forms of energy must be made more widely available and at an affordable cost.

2. Block drains
Bogs and fens are wetlands, so it is hardly surprising that they depend heavily on water. Draining bogs removes this essential ingredient from the mix. By blocking drains, water will be held in the peatland, thereby helping it to begin its road to regeneration. As the water level rises in the blocked drains, plants that produce peat and therefore store carbon get growing again. Locking carbon into peat helps reduce global warming, but it is a long term strategy in adapting to climate change.

3. Get your local community involved
By getting the local community involved in restoration you can get so much more achieved. Why not form a community group like the Móin Fhionnurach Development Association in Fenor Village, Co. Waterford. Today, fen vegetation is blooming and many visitors and tourists enjoy tranquil walks along the boardwalk the local residents built. Fenor Bog is storing carbon again thanks to the vision of the local community.

4. Wildlife records - long term monitor of climate change
Places become so much more interesting when we know more about them. A very useful project could be to record the wildlife occurring in the area. This could be a school project or a community project, but it needs to be carried out long term. In this way it can provide valuable information about changing species distributions in response to climate change. Indicator species might include Sphagnum mosses, amphibians, sundews or butterflies. All records should be sent to the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford.

5. Control invasive species
Modern life has allowed us to travel the world, but it has also allowed plants to do the same as we bring back specimens that would "look nice in the garden". Unfortunately these can escape the garden and cause huge problems in natural areas. Probably the most infamous of them all is Rhododendron, but other problem plants for bogs include Giant Rhubarb (Gunnera) and Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea). These plants complete with native peat forming vegetation and need to be removed before they get a foot hold on a peatland.

6. Reduce grazing
It is funny that another EU policy of grants to sheep farmers led to the degradation and sometimes destruction of many peatlands. Having too high a density in any habitat will lead to overgrazing. This then leads to a shift in the balance of the plant communities and decomposition and erosion of the peat to release carbon. By limiting the amount of animals put to grazing in an area we can control the amount of damage done and give the peatland vegetation time to recover.

7. Reduce trampling
Peatlands are very sensitive habitats; each footstep we take on a bog takes 3 years before it fully disappears. Now imagine if ten people walk in a line, further compacting the peat. It doesn't take long for a track to be worn in a bog. One way of limiting this impact would be to restrict access to certain areas of the peatland and to allow the vegetation in the remaining parts to grow unhindered. Another alternative, though more expensive, is to construct a boardwalk above the peat surface.

8. Erect signs
It is always useful to erect signs such as "nature reserve", "natural heritage area" or "special area of conservation" to inform the public of how the land is being managed or to remind them about illegalality of certain activites such as fly tipping. Other signs might remind land users of the Country Code.

9. Report illegal dumping
Unfortunately, some people still regard peatlands as wastelands, and therefore perfect places for dumps. How wrong they are! The water from peatlands eventually ends up in our rivers, and it is from our rivers that we take our drinking water. Would you drink the run off from a dump? Fines can be issued to anyone caught flytipping. Incidents should be reported firstly to your county council. Following this, if you are not happy with the actions taken by the county council you can report it to the EPA's illegal dumping hotline on 1850 365 121.

10. Commercial Conifer Forestry
Many peatlands in the past were planted with conifers. Activities associated with commercial forestry included drainage, tree planting and aerial fertilising. These activities alter the peat forming status of the bog and also prevent it from storing water in times of high rainfall. Trees themselves intercept up to 30% of the moisture reaching a bog. For managers the rule is to remove the trees, block the drains and monitor for regenerating seedlings. These methods have been perfected by Coillte.

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