Why are Bogs Important

All peat used in gardening comes from raised bogs. Less than 20,000 hectares of wildlife-rich raised bog remain in Ireland from an original area of 337,000 hectares.The greatest destruction has taken place in the last 50 years as a result of turf cutting for milled peat and moss peat extraction. At the current rates of utilisation the remaining bogs that are not protected in National Nature Reserves will have been destroyed or seriously damaged by 2010.

In Ireland today fifty companies are industrially extracting peat from conservation worthy bogs and eating into this finite resource. This is not a sustainable operation because the peat is being used faster than it is being formed. The raised bogs are a priority habitat for conservation. Reducing the demand for peat in gardening and horticulture, and making alternatives available, is a first step in reducing the pressure on bogs.

A moss peat campaign endorsed by 14 conservation organisations in Ireland, UK and Northern Ireland, aims to stop the use of horticultural moss peat in gardens in favour of more environmentally friendly alternatives, in a bid to safeguard the last remaining raised bogs in Ireland and the UK.

Why Bogs Should be Valued as Living Systems

Ireland's oceanic raised bogs are the most important remaining in Europe and are probably the most extensive of their type in the world.

The disappearance of Irish bogs would have serious international consequences. For various plant and animal species the last remaining European refuge would be destroyed and several species of birds would loose important winter feeding grounds.

Peatlands are unique ecosystems comprising 95% water and as such, they support combinations of plants and animals that do not exist in other habitats.

Many plants and animals have adapted to these harsh environments. As such they act as genetic reservoirs of plant and animal material. As they are water-filled systems their integrity is maintained by the thin layer of living plants and inter-twining roots on the bog surface.

They are of immense educational value to students and scientists alike. Their surface layers can be studied to illustrate the inter-relationship between plant and animal communities.

The flora of the bog is simpler than an average woodland, comprising of about 25 species. These plants are all specifically adapted to life in acidic waterlogged conditions. On raised bogs the most important plant is the Bog Moss or Sphagnum. Sphagnum is almost entirely restricted to bogs and it is the principle peat forming species. It is becoming increasingly rare as more sites come under development. Two other plants which arouse a lot of interest are the insect-eating Sundew and the Bladderwort. The carnivorous diet of these plants is a perfect adaptation to life in a nutrient poor habitat.

Many bog plants were traditionally used in folk remedies and new uses are still being investigated for bog plants.

A variety of animals have their homes on the bog. The most common and conspicuous are the insects, especially the butterflies and moths, whose life cycles are interwoven with those of the bog flowers.

Birds are more likely to be spotted on a visit to the bog. The Kestrel may be seen suspended above the bog, the Red Grouse and the Snipe may be startled from among the Ling Heather. In winter Greenland White-Fronted Geese may be seen as they use the bog for feeding and roosting.

There's more to bogs than moss peat for the garden. If all gardeners made their own compost our peatland wildlife could have a more secure future.

Saving a Unique Record of Our History

Bogs contain an unparalleled record of our past. A rich archive of information lies preserved in bogs. Much of this is organic and has a capacity to expand our knowledge of people, culture, economy and climate far back into pre-history. Peat bogs have produced some of the most spectacular finds of Irish archaeology, including some remarkably well preserved bodies of our ancestors.

Pollen grains are preserved within the bogs due to the waterlogged conditions of the bog and the tough outer coat of the pollen grains. As more and more peat and pollen accumulate over thousands of years, so a complete unbroken record of the plant species that grew in the vicinity, is recorded in great detail. The study of pollen records can give a great deal of information about past climates and climate changes.

The lack of oxygen in the peat prevents the normal decay processes from taking place and so bogs have preserved within them a vast array of gold, bronze, amber, wooden and stone objects. These can tell us about how and where people lived in ancient Ireland.

Human corpses were often disposed of by throwing them into bog holes. Their remains are often so well preserved that the colour and style of their hair can be seen, and the style of their clothing can be studied.

Many structures of archaeological interest have been discovered within and below the peat. Archaeological remains beneath the peat can be discovered without digging the peat. For example the stone Age farmland in the Céide Fields, County Mayo, is covered by up to 4 metres of peat. The outlines of the farm walls can be mapped by probing with iron rods which go down through the peat until they hit a solid structure. By probing at right angles to the wall it is possible to establish the level of the old ground surface under the bog and the position and height of the wall built on the
surface.

Less Obvious Benefits of Bogs

Boglands are also important water-level controllers in river catchments, providing water in periods of drought and soaking up excess water in wet periods.

Peat is a rich store of carbon which has been removed from the atmosphere by plants accumulated over thousands of years. Drainage and destruction of raised bogs resulted in the rapid loss of this stored carbon in the form of greenhouse gases.

Peatlands are an ecosystem that has so far only been studied incompletely, and which has been providing important ecological insights into hydrology, carbon fixation and environmental change would be lost for further research.

Would you like to learn more about raised bogs?

Why are raised bogs important?

Bogs - their unique plants and wildlife?

Are bogs really threatened with extinction?

More facts about raised bogs?

Factsheets on various aspects of bogs, their wildlife, archaeology and habitats?

IPCC's campaign on moss peat and horticulture?

IPCC and the UK Peat Free Gardening Campaign?