The session  will introduce peatlands and the important ecosystem services they provide to society, including their roles as carbon stores, as habitats for biodiversity, in buffering extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, and in providing cultural, recreational and wellness benefits to surrounding communities.

We will hear from  speakers from RE–PEAT  a youth-led collective pushing for a peatland paradigm shift through collaboration, education, and a process of re-imagining and Peatlands and People a 7-year EC-funded LIFE Integrated Project, led by Bord na Móna:

• Sophie O’Callaghan is a member of RE-PEAT and the Communications Officer for The Rivers Trust,
• Arthur Devine is the Technical Program Manager for the EU LIFE Integrated Project Peatlands and People.
• David McNicholas is an Ecologist at Bord na Móna.

This session will include a screening of Bog Standard a short documentary film that focuses on community-led bog restoration projects and the custodians who have extraordinary stories to tell. The film draws on the commitment and hope of grassroot projects happening around peatland conservation in Ireland, and responds to the need for awareness of peatlands in Ireland and their central role within the climate emergency

RE–PEAT 

RE–PEAT  is an international youth-led collective pushing for a peatland paradigm shift through collaboration, education, and a process of re-imagining,  with members in the Netherlands, Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany, Estonia, some study peat at a university level, some work with peat “in the field”, and others are simply peat enthusiasts.

Peatlands and People

Peatlands and People is a 7-year EC-funded LIFE Integrated Project, led by Bord na Móna, the project integrates actions from five sections of the Climate Action Plan – Enterprise; Agriculture, forestry and land use; Waste and the circular economy; Public sector leading by example; and Citizen engagement, community leadership and just transition. Peatlands and People uses peatlands as a model to inspire behavioural change and build capacity and economy in Ireland’s midlands, a region of transition.