Irish Spatial Data Exchange
Conservation of Raised Bogs in the Midlands 2023
Wetland Surveys Ireland (WSI) provided Scientific and Technical Support to the NPWS on Raised Bogs Conservation and Restoration in late 2023, 2024 and early 2025. As part of this support two surveys were undertaken assessing the results of restoration works. These surveys were at Cloncrow Bog (NHA 000677) and Knockacoller Bog (SAC 002333). The restoration measures were undertaken on these sites in 2020-21 and aimed to reverse the effects of historical drainage and turf cutting and help achieve the site-specific conservation objectives as well as enhancing the site's carbon sequestration capacity and supporting biodiversity.
Cloncrow Bog, located near Tyrrellspass, Co. Westmeath, consists of raised bog with both intact high bog and cutover areas. Restoration actions included the installation of peat dams and contour bunds to elevate the water table and promote hydrological stability. As a designated pilot site under the EU-funded Care-Peat Project, Cloncrow Bog also serves as a demonstration model for climate action through peatland restoration and carbon emissions monitoring.
WSI's 2023 survey at Cloncrow involved detailed mapping of ecotopes and cutover areas, vegetation transect resampling, and statistical analysis of plant community composition. The findings indicated significant gains in Active Raised Bog (ARB) and High Sphagnum (HS) habitats, along with robust regeneration of key peat-forming species, particularly Sphagnum mosses. Restoration has already led to a 13.9% reduction in annual CO₂ emissions from the formerly drained high bog, highlighting the ongoing carbon benefits associated with ecological recovery.
Knockacoller Bog, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC 002333) located in Co. Laois, is another raised bog system comprising high bog and cutover areas. Restoration works on this site included blocking 9.2 km of drains and constructing 4.7 km of contour bunds, actions completed as part of the National Raised Bog Restoration Programme led by NPWS. As of early 2025, an estimated 81% of the SAC area has undergone hydrological restoration.
WSI’s 2025 survey focused on assessing the effectiveness of these restoration interventions on the high bog in promoting habitat recovery and supporting SSCOs. Vegetation was mapped using the raised bog ecotope classification system of Kelly and Schouten (2002). The survey documented a 2.2 ha (45.3%) increase in ARB extent between 2012 and 2025, particularly in the southern and southwestern sections of the high bog. While the area of ARB has increased, habitat area and quality remains below Favourable Reference Values (FRVs), with restoration still incomplete. However, a positive trajectory for ARB has been estimated. The restoration works in the north-east of the site were less successful with subsidence identified as a likely issue. Further hydrological studies (including a LiDAR survey and a transect of piezometers) are necessary in this area to identify the cause of the subsidence.
The project underscores the importance of long-term ecological monitoring to evaluate restoration success and guide adaptive management. It also contributes key scientific data to national and EU-level peatland restoration frameworks, including Ireland’s commitments under the Habitats Directive and climate policy. Future monitoring—recommended on a six-year cycle—will track changes in habitat extent, quality, carbon flux, and hydrological conditions to assess progress towards achieving Favourable Conservation Status at both sites.
Simple
- Alternate title
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Conservation of Raised Bogs in the Midlands 2023
- Date (Publication)
- 2026-03-24
- Citation identifier
- https://data.gov.ie/dataset/ / Conservation of Raised Bogs in the Midlands 2023
- Purpose
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The scope of the project involves assessing the ecological impacts of restoration efforts at Cloncrow Bog and Knockacoller Bog. This includes evaluating changes in vegetation, mapping habitats, and analysing greenhouse gas emissions following the implementation of restoration measures such as peat dams and bunds. The study focuses on both the drained high bog and cutover areas, comparing baseline data from 2020 with current conditions to determine the effectiveness of these interventions. The project delivers detailed GIS maps, statistical analyses, and ecological insights to guide future monitoring and restoration strategies.
- Status
- Completed
- Point of contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Point of contact
- Maintenance and update frequency
- As needed
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GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0
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Habitats and biotopes
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GEMET - Concepts, version 4.2.3
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biota, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, peat, bog, nature conservation, restoration measure
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National Parks and Wildlife Service
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National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, peatland, raised bog, biodiversity
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ISO 3166
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Ireland
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- Use limitation
- Use limitation
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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Copyright Government of Ireland. This dataset was created by National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This copyright material is licensed for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Spatial representation type
- Vector
- Denominator
- 50000
- Language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Topic category
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- Environment
))
- Begin date
- 2023-01-01
- End date
- 2025-03-30
Vertical extent
- Minimum value
- 0
- Maximum value
- 1014
Vertical CS
Vertical datum
- Reference system identifier
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https://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/2157
/
Irish Transverse Mercator - ITM
EPSG Geodetic Parameter Dataset EPSG 2009-11-25
- Distribution format
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Name Version Esri shapefile
10+
Microsoft Excel
xlsx
- Distributor contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Point of contact
- OnLine resource
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Protocol Linkage Name zip
https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/general/STRB23_assessment_and_conservation_of_selected_raised%20bogs_in_Midlands.zip Dataset
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
Conformance result
- Title
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INSPIRE Data Specification on Provide Spatial Data Theme keyword
- Alternate title
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INSPIRE Data Specifications v3.0
- Date (Publication)
- 2011-06-15
- Explanation
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The INSPIRE Directive or INSPIRE lays down a general framework for a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for the purposes of European Community environmental policies and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment.
- Pass
- Yes
Conformance result
- Title
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COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services
- Alternate title
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INSPIRE Interoperability Regulation
- Date (Publication)
- 2010-12-08
- Explanation
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Level of conformance with the COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services
- Pass
- Yes
- Statement
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Assessment of restoration works carried out at two raised bog sites: Cloncrow Bog (NHA 000677) and Knockacoller Bog (SAC 002333).
Metadata
- File identifier
- fdd94a17-7b3d-4d5f-8c89-cb40f34eeb92 XML
- Metadata language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Date stamp
- 2026-03-24T11:43:12
- Metadata standard name
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ISDI Metadata Profile
- Metadata standard version
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1.2
- Metadata author
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Point of contact
)))
