University of Galway launches peatlands research centre

Focus on restoration and conservation of bogland

University of Galway has announced the launch of the All-Ireland Peatlands Centre of Excellence to lead research and policy development on restoration and conservation of bogland.

The centre has been established at the university’s Ryan Institute to help address critical challenges linked to peatlands, including decarbonisation, biodiversity loss, just transition and cultural heritage.

Along with academic research and policy development, it will also serve as a hub for innovation and training in relation to protection of peatlands on the island of Ireland and overseas.

The establishment of the All-Ireland Peatlands Centre of Excellence builds on a strong collaborative ethos among multiple universities, government agencies and community groups.

It also follows on from the RePEAT project, a research collaboration involving University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin which identified former peatlands areas that are suitable for alternative management and informs national bog rewetting projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Using Bog Commissioner maps from the 19th century which were originally designed to facilitate drainage, RePEAT researchers digitised the maps and turned them against their initial purpose in order to establish the original baseline extent of peatlands. The maps recorded the large-scale survey of more than one million acres of bogs between 1810 and 1814.

The RePEAT project was funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Dr Terry Morley, lead of the new All-Ireland Peatlands Centre of Excellence and researcher on RePEAT project, says: “The All-Ireland Peatlands Centre of Excellence will bring together scientists, policymakers, landowners, and communities.

“We hope that through this new centre we will be able to strengthen national capacity for sustainable peatland management and ensure long-term environmental and societal benefits from restoration and conservation. University of Galway is uniquely situated to lead this centre, with blanket and raised bogs at our doorstep and broad interdisciplinary peatland research expertise.”

Dr John Connolly, a researcher on the project from Trinity College Dublin, adds: “The RePEAT project has identified more than 200,000 hectares of former peatland, which is now in other land uses. These areas represent emissions many times higher than their baseline and can be used to identify areas that may be suitable for restoration and rewetting under Ireland’s Climate Action Plan.”

A special showcase outlining the findings of the RePEAT research project is being hosted in the Orbsen Building on the University of Galway campus this week while a public lecture will be held on Thursday 18th December at 5pm in the Michael D Higgins Auditorium.