Thanks to the rehabilitation efforts of Bord na Móna, some 7.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were trapped in the bogs of Ireland last year.
Roughly half (3.75 million tons) of that amount was secured in the bogs of the Irish county Offaly.
Bord na Móna is a semi-state company established in 1946 with the aim of developing the country’s peatlands and providing economic benefit for local communities.
In the past year, the company has been hard at work rehabilitating almost 12,800 acres of peatlands.
The initiative began in 2021 and is part of a larger ambitious scheme that aims to lower CO2 emissions and revive the carbon capture capacity of peatlands, thus securing a vast carbon sink.
The scheme has received €108 million ($123.4 million) funding from the national government and from the European Union, and Bord na Móna has invested separately €18 million ($20.6 million).
Relevant: Carbon Sequestration Efforts In Ireland On The Rise With Peatlands Restoration Project
To restore the carbon capture qualities of the peatlands, the company has an arsenal of rehabilitation measures that it is putting to use across the midlands of Ireland.
So far, Bord na Móna has restored and rehabilitated more than 61,000 acres.
As a result of these efforts, the restored bogs are improving biodiversity and acting as new habitats for thousands of indigenous species of plants and animals.
Relevant: Agreena Receives $4.7M Funding To Promote Regenerative Farming
An outstanding example of the success of this endeavor is the return of nesting cranes to one of the peatlands after 300 years.
This also demonstrates the immense potential for nature to restore and regenerate itself, which gives ecologists confidence that the program will continue to deliver such results in years to come.
And what is not least important, Bord na Móna’s work is and will continue to play a key role in the battle against climate change, with the company envisioning over 100 millions tons of CO2 being pulled from the atmosphere and stored in these peatlands.
