At the bog during the visit by the Finnish delegation were: Prof Anu Láhteenmáki-Uutela, Finnish Environment Institute; Dr Antii Sallinen, Finnish Environment Institute; Eeva Raike, University of Turku; Gearóid Ó Foighil, Cloughjordan Community Development Association; Dr Laura Puolamáki, University of Turku; Inka Santala, Finnish Environment Agency; Dr Jarmo Vehmas, University of Turku; Dr Reeta Hautaniemi, University of Turku. The photograph was taken by the study tour co-ordinator, Dr Jamie Rohu, Department of History, Trinity College Dublin.

From Satakunta to Scohaboy

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September 4 saw an important visit to Cloughjordan's Scohaboy Bog SAC by delegates from Finland's University of Turku and Finland’s Environment Institute to learn more about the award-winning community supported raised bog restoration programme at the site.

With a particular focus on Satakunta Peatlands, the group's Irish study tour was funded as part of the EU Just Transition programme to look at lessons learned with community supported Irish peatland rewetting projects that could be utilised in similar Finish conservation efforts. Bordering the Gulf of Bothnia in Western Finland, the Satakunta Peatlands conservation project is looking to explore how previously peat production sites can transition to new multi-use functions with a central focus on conservation involving local landowners, wider community interests and regional authority climate action objectives.

The project looks at transition from peat production to new livelihoods and meanings, a process which recent years in Ireland has seen important investment in peatlands restoration and rewetting efforts that have returned significant ecological, social and economic dividends to participating local communities.

The Satakunta project is led jointly by the School of Economics and the Department of Landscape Studies of the University of Turku (UTU) and the Finish Environment Institute (Syke) and is funded by the Regional Council of Satakunta and the EU Just Transition Fund.

Beginning a decade ago with Coillte Forest’s EU/LIFE restoration project and subsequently followed by two major NPWS funded rewetting projects, at 1,500 acres and with 52-private landowners involved, Scohaboy’s rewetting programme is regarded as Ireland’s most successful community supported peatland conservation effort today and an award-winning example of agency and community collaboration. In an area with no history of peatland conservation, with successful community engagement, Scohaboy transitioned from burning and cutting to conservation without conflict.

NATURAL ASSET

As well as being home to an internationally unique and increasingly rare assembly of plants and animals, peatlands are our greatest natural asset in terms of carbon capture. They have been described as being the Irish ‘rainforests’, our Raised bogs are Europe’s oldest ‘near-nature’ landscapes and Ireland has more than 50% of the EU’s ocean-raised bogs with about 1.46 million ha (21% of Ireland).

There are two types of bogs in Ireland, blanket bogs (approximately 900,000 ha) and the globally rare, raised bog (approx 530,000 ha) and between them it is estimated that they store between 60 and 75% of our national Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stock.

The Cloughjordan Community Development Association are the local partners in the Scohaboy rewetting programme and Cloughjordan looks forward to developing future links with our Finnish counterparts.

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