Minister announces €160,000 funding for peatland conservation initiatives

Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, today (19 May) announced that he has approved the first round of grant funding of just over €160,000 to 16 local community groups and organisations for a variety of peatlands related projects across Ireland.

The Peatlands Community Engagement Scheme encourages local peatland communities, local groups, local schools and individuals to conserve and revitalise fens, raised and blanket bog in Special Areas of Conservation, Natural Heritage Areas and other peatland areas. It also promotes public engagement with and awareness of our natural heritage. The focus of the scheme is on community-led projects and volunteer group, who play a vital role in helping to promote and implement peatland conservation and restoration in Ireland. The scheme is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, a division of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Minister announces €160,000 funding for peatland conservation initiatives

Funding from the 2022 Peatlands Community Engagement Scheme will support peatland conversation projects in many ways including:

Projects that will benefit from this funding span across Ireland including Galway, Westmeath, Kildare, Offaly, Mayo, Kerry, Cavan, Monaghan and Dublin.

Announcing the funding, which has been operating for the last number of years, the Minister stated that he was delighted to see the diverse range of initiatives put forward by such active community and volunteer groups and environmental organisations. The Minister has also announced that the Peatlands Community Engagement Scheme in 2022 will be open-ended and allow for the submission of new applications this year, enabling community groups and others to proceed with projects delayed due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister added:

Today’s announcement follows on from the launch of the €21 million LIFE Wild Atlantic Nature project last week. This wide reaching project primarily aimed at the delivery of environmental and social benefits through the conservation and restoration of blanket bog habitat in northwest Ireland, working closely with the local community. The National Parks and Wildlife Service is undertaking an accelerated programme of peatlands conservation and restoration with numerous projects underway, which will help substantially reduce the loss of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, as the water level in the bogs return to close to their natural levels. This will ensure that this massive reserve of carbon is sealed and stored for posterity and will help keep our planet cooler.