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Peatlands

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The Soils of Ireland

Part of the book series: World Soils Book Series ((WSBS))

Abstract

Peatlands form part of the iconic landscape of Ireland and account for nearly a quarter of the land area. Raised bogs, blanket bogs and fens are Ireland’s last great area of wilderness, hovering between land and water, providing unusual habitats for its unique and specialist flora and fauna. At the same time, the peat itself is a significant carbon store (C) and a repository of treasures as well as critical information to understand past climates and land uses. Historically, all natural peatlands have been impacted by humans through our efforts to ‘utilise’ this land, through draining, burning, afforestation, grazing and other ‘improvements’. Nowadays, peatlands are found mainly drained either for agriculture, forestry or peat extraction or utilised for wind farms or recreational purposes. All of these land uses dry the bog and result in a loss of biodiversity at all levels; genetic, species, habitats and landscapes; a loss of water and mineral storage capacity leading to increased flooding and water pollution. Also, a loss of C sequestration capacity and the loss of stored C to the atmosphere and waterways, as well as an increased risk of bog burst and fires and the spread of invasive species can result. There is now a growing national and global interest in peatland restoration and in ending non-sustainable uses of peat by bringing back the ‘sustainable’ services and benefits that peatlands provide to society as a whole.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Marl: a calcareous limnic deposit formed in fresh water lakes by Charophyceae (Stone-worts) permeated by variable quantities of shells of fresh water molluscs; found, beneath the raised bogs in the Irish Midlands.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Florence Renou-Wilson

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  1. Florence Renou-Wilson
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Correspondence to Florence Renou-Wilson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wageningen University and Research Atlas—Wageningen Campus, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Rachel Creamer

  2. Teagasc Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Johnstown Castle Environment Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland

    Lilian O’Sullivan

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Renou-Wilson, F. (2018). Peatlands. In: Creamer, R., O’Sullivan, L. (eds) The Soils of Ireland. World Soils Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71189-8_8

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