WaterLANDS is a Horizon 2020 EU funded project under the Green Deal with six restoration ‘Action Sites’ across Europe. The Irish Action Site, led by LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature, is located at the Cuilcagh-Anierin Uplands SAC in Co. Leitrim and Co. Cavan, where peatland restoration actions began last summer. Over 150 farmers have joined the WaterLANDS programme and 83 are included within the restoration plans for 600 hectares of blanket bog. A total investment of over €3 million (co-funded by the Shared Island Fund) will be used to restore blanket bogs, provide peatland restoration training to local communities and pay for the works done by the landowners. Restoration plans are designed with the landowners, incorporating their thoughts and ideas and promoting co-creation practices. Along with the restoration, the WaterLANDS team has also implemented an extensive and ambitious integrated research monitoring plan to demonstrate the impacts of peatland restoration. Following the smart indicators approach, the team is installing equipment to better understand the hydrological integrity, the climate regulation functions and the biodiversity of peatlands before, during and after restoration. The information collected will provide scientific evidence of restoration impacts on blanket bog and will help to better understand this rare and unique habitat.
