SAVE OUR BOGS
Did you know?....
8% of the world's wilderness of blanket bogs occur in the west of Ireland.For hundreds of years in Ireland, people dug peat by hand, dried the sods and then burnt them as a fuel for cooking and warmth. This was a slow process, which allowed the bog's wildlife a chance to regenerate and little damage was done.
In recent years, new uses for peat and the bogs have been developed such as horticulture, energy production, forestry and more intensive agriculture. This has resulted in the destruction of 80% of our bogs. We have 10 years to save what little remains.
Not only do we stand to lose an entire habitat and its wildlife, but we will also lose part of our history and culture. We cannot afford to lose a mystical landscape which has been part of our land for thousands of years.
We need to follow the example of Dutch people and purchase more raised bogs, more blanket bogs and more fens for conservation, and convince Government to do the same.
We need to encourage foresters to plant trees on more areas of marginal land and avoid destroying peatlands of European Conservation Importance.
We need to convince people to reduce their dependence on peat in horticulture, and recycle waste materials in their gardens so as to make peat reserves last longer.
We must encourage people to develop lifestyles that are in harmony with the environment so that nature outside protected areas is also considered and valuable.
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council is a national charity committed to ensure protection of just 4% (50,000 Hectares) of the different peatland types in Ireland. It is entirely supported by voluntary contributions.
For more info please contact;
IPCC, Head Office, Capel Chambers, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1 TEL; 01-8722397
SAVE OUR BOGS! SAVE OUR BOGS! SAVE OUR BOGS! SAVE OUR BOGS!
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