P r e s s R e l e a s e

For Raised Bogs - The End is in Sight

For immediate release 1 February 1997

The raised bogs of the Irish Midlands are virtually extinct; there are a few isolated examples scattered throughout the country and numbering less than 100. And that's it. That's all the raised bogs that are alive in Ireland.

The statistics make grim reading. "In just 50 years the area of raised bog has crashed from 210,000ha to 20,000ha" says Dr. Peter Foss, chairman of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council and he adds, "the Bog of Allen was among the first of the huge raised bogs to disappear in the fifties and sixties". Many more of our beautiful bogs are being killed at a speed that would take your breath away.

"We are facing a crisis", says Dr. Foss, "and we must act now if we are to stop the terrible litany of destruction."

The End is in Sight campaign is an urgent appeal from the IPCC to help save the last raised bogs in Ireland. IPCC are fighting on many different fronts.

They are demanding that Government and local authorities get tough on illegal commercial developers and are lobbying to ensure that Ireland lives up to it's commitment to protect the species and habitats of raised bogs which have become extinct in most other European countries.

IPCC are working to ensure that all the remaining conservation worthy raised bogs are nominated as Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats regulation.

IPCC are alerting people to the devastating consequences the use of mosspeat in the garden has for raised bogs. "There are 50 commercial moss peat producing companies operating in Ireland, all of which have emerged in the last 10 years" says Dr. Foss.

Mobilising public opinion is no small task but the signs are that the message is getting through. To date 21 raised bogs have been protected in nature reserves with the help of public support.

"We can ensure that we protect many more bogs with public support. If every individual makes a donation to the campaign to save raised bogs, cuts out the use of moss peat in the garden and learns more about the threats to bogs by sending for the End is in Sight campaign pack, we could save our vanishing raised bogs" says Dr. Foss.

The End is in Sight campaign pack is available from IPCC, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1.

EDITOR'S NOTE 1: The Irish Peatland Conservation Council is a national charity and is entirely supported by voluntary contributions. Conservation projects include: purchasing bogland nature reserves, providing resources and training for teachers and education groups, repairing damaged bogs, fostering a positive attitude towards bogs, and encouraging lifestyles in harmony with the environment. The IPCC can be contacted at: Capel Chambers, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01-872 2397. Registered Charity Number: CHY6829

EDITOR'S NOTE 2: The Irish Peatland Conservation Council gratefully acknowledges Indigo who have sponsored our pages on the World Wide Web.

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