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Dutch Irish Bog Conservation

Today Ireland can boast to having one quarter of a million hectares of conserved peatlands in Europe. Before the 1980's there was very little thought of peatland conservation in Ireland. However, this was all to change with the help of the Dutch nation.

The title panel of the Dutch and Irish Bog Story Exhibition on permanent display in the Bog of Allen Nature Centre.

PEAT EXPLOITATION
Industrial mechanisation of peat cutting led to the exploitation of most of the Dutch peatland reserves. It was only then the Dutch people realised that they had destroyed and lost their peatland heritage. The Dutch Government decided to take action and in 1974 set out a five step Peatland Conservation Plan to aid in the restoration of some of their peatland heritage. The Plan, which will take 50 years to complete includes these steps and at the time was the first of its kind in Europe:

Step 1. Make an inventory of all the remaining peatlands.
Step 2. Purchase the remaining peatlands.
Step 3. Stop drainage and restore the peatland hydrology.
Step 4. Draw up management plans for the peatland reserves.
Step 5. Provide public relations materials and information about the Dutch peatland conservation plan.

This five step plan resulted in the Dutch Government acquiring the last remaining 8,000ha of peatlands and to date they have spent almost ¤100 million on peatland restoration projects in The Netherlands. They also opened the Veen (Peat) Museum in the East of the country to educate people about peatlands.

Just like The Netherlands, turf was cut by hand for many years in Ireland. The hand cutting of turf was very slow and as a result very little exploitation occurred on the peatlands of Ireland. However in the mid 1940's Ireland began to commercially develop its peatlands. This continued unchecked until the Dutch peatland scientists arrived here.

Prof Matthijs Schouten in great form at the launch of the Dutch Irish Exhibition in Enfo in 2006. He said Ireland needed conservation organisations for every habitat in Ireland, not just peatlands if we are to protect our wild nature. Photo: Lensman

DUTCH ACTION TO SAVE IRISH BOGS
In 1978 Matthijs Schouten, a Dutch research student came to Ireland to complete a project for university. On arrival Matthijs was shocked at the extent of commercial development on Irish peatlands and distressed that no thought was being spared for the conservation of some of these sites. So when Matthijs returned to The Netherlands he decided to take action for Irish bogs before time ran out.

Matthijs set up the Dutch Foundation for the Conservation of Irish Bogs (Stichting Tot Behoud Van de Ierse Venen) and for three years campaigned tirelessly to raise enough funds to purchase three peatlands in Ireland. At the same time the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) was set up to conserve a representative sample of peatlands and to act as a watchdog for Irish peatlands.

The Dutch raised funds through:
* An Art Exhibition
* A Ballet entitled Mise Eire
* The sale of a book entitled Herring Gulls
* The sale of symbolic shares in Irish peatlands
* A grant from the World Wide Fund for Nature, The Netherlands

By 1987 the Dutch Foundation had raised enough funds to purchase three peatlands in Ireland. These were: Scragh Bog, Co. Westmeath; Cummeragh River Bog, Co. Kerry and Clochar na gCon Bog in Co. Galway (below is some information on each of these sites). The Dutch Foundation then handed these sites over to the Irish Nation as a gift. Raising awareness was vital to the Dutch campaign. They organised a touring exhibition entitled De Venen Geturfd, published The Face of Ireland (an anthology of literature) and a supporters newsletter entitled Ierse Venen.

A JOINT APPROACH
In 1987 both the Dutch and Irish Governments signed a technical agreement for co-operation in the area of peatland management and restoration. Raheenmore Bog and Clara Bog in County Offaly were the chosen study sites.

The insights gained were used in the Irish Raised Bog Restoration Programme (1994-2000) to identify raised bogs for designation as Special Areas of Conservation and in the planning of rehabilitation measures on sites in the two countries.

A synthesis of the findings of the research programme have been published in the book Conservation and Restoration of Raised Bogs. Geological, Hydrological and Ecological Studies 2002, edited by Matthijs Schouten.

Not only scientific researchers have been inspired by the peatlands of Ireland, for years
people have been singing, dancing, painting, writing, sculpting and above all speaking in many different voices about bogs.

THE IRISH RESULTS
The energy and enthusiasm of the Dutch people stimulated action for bogs in Ireland as follows:
*250,000ha of Irish peatlands designated for conserved.
*The IPCC has been the peatland watchdog for over 25 years and have campaigned tirelessly to ensure a future for Irish peatlands.
*National parks such as Glenveagh in Co. Donegal, Killarney in Co. Kerry and Owenduff in Co. Mayo have been opened to the public.
*Centres such as the Ceide Fields and the Bog of Allen Nature Centre educate visitors about the beauty of Irish peatlands.
*Until the 1980's text books at schools in Ireland and The Netherlands suggested that peatlands had only one use: to serve as a source of fuel. IPCC's education programmes and publications have changed this unbalanced view.

Mongan Bog in Co. Offaly with its unique pool systems was the inspiration for the Dutch battle to save Irish Bogs. Photo: Peter Foss

WORK STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR IRISH PEATLANDS
While much has been achieved the following actions are now crucial:
*Management plans must be developed to restore conserved peatlands damaged by overgrazing and drainage.
*A peatlands conservation strategy for Ireland needs to be developed and adequately funded.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP
Become a supporter of the IPCC.
*Collect used stamps and forward them to the IPCC.
*Buy a symbolic share in an acre of Irish Peatland.
*Volunteer your time to help restore or clean up a peatland.
*Hold a fundraising event and donate the the funds to the Save the Bogs Campaign
*Visit a National park or peatland exhibition centre to educate yourself on the issues affecting peatlands today.
*Be a watchdog in your area for any unwanted activity on conserved peatlands.
*Compost garden waste to make a rich compost instead of using peat in your garden.
*Save energy, 10-14% of our electricity is generated from milled peat..

SPONSORS OF THE DUTCH IRISH BOG STORY
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council would like to thank ENFO, The Dutch Embassy in Ireland, The Dutch Foundation for the Conservation of Irish Bogs and Kildare County Council for sponsoring this project.

In 2007, IPCC are celebrating 25 years since our foundation in 1982

© This article written by Nuala Madigan, Environmental Education Officer with the IPCC was first published in Peatland News No. 43, Spring 2007, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare