This invite-only event includes bog site visits, guided walks, and hands-on sphagnum planting at Lough Boora Discovery Park, showcasing Ireland’s peatland restoration.
- environmental impact | management of resources | sustainable economic growth strategy
- Tuesday 10 June 2025, 11:00 - 16:30 (CEST)
- Boora, Co Offaly, Ireland
Practical information
- When
- Tuesday 10 June 2025, 11:00 - 16:30 (CEST)
- Where
- Lough Boora Discovery Park Visitor Centre,Boora, Co Offaly, Ireland
- Languages
- English
- Part of
- Website
- Event website
- Social media links
Description
Aligning with EU Green Week, the EU LIFE IP Peatlands and People project is organising a targeted event on 10 June, showcasing the project to various bodies affiliated with EU LIFE. The event will include bog site visits, guided walks and hands-on sphagnum planting activities.
Our peatlands have immense value. They combat climate change, protect biodiversity, maintain water quality and provide a space for wellbeing, as well as other important benefits. While the harvesting of peatlands is damaging to the environment, restored and intact bogs store excess carbon dioxide they have removed from the atmosphere.
The 7-year Peatlands and People project connects Ireland’s peatlands, policies and people to support the realisation of a carbon-neutral, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable society and economy by 2050. A European Commission (EC)-funded LIFE Integrated Project, it aims to play a significant role in achieving Ireland’s Climate Action Plan.
To celebrate the restoration and rehabilitation work done to date and the commencement of the project’s final two years, the Peatlands and People project will host a visit from a number of bodies affiliated with EU LIFE (invite-only), as part of a targeted event showcasing the project at the BnM visitor centre in Boora, Co Offaly, Ireland.
The event will begin with a hands-on introduction to sphagnum planting across two peatland sites, Ballaghurt bog and Killaranny bog, introducing participants to the importance of sphagnum planting for peatland restoration and providing them with the opportunity to plant new plugs. As part of this, BnM will highlight its successful sphagnum planting campaign to date, with over 1 million sphagnum plugs planted.
The event will then proceed to showcase one of the peatland sites proposed for rehabilitation in 2026. Following the restoration work, the event will move on to highlight the project’s success in establishing a new Accelerator programme for systemic innovation focused on low-carbon and circular economies. Participants will be invited into the Accelerate Green building to meet the innovative green businesses part of the Accelerator programme, driving transformative solutions for a greener future. As part of this, visitors will receive a first-hand introduction to the work done on the electrification of a tractor used in sphagnum planting.