Bord na Móna has recently transformed into a sustainable, green business, which now emphasises the use of its land assets for renewable energy and resource recovery in support of government policy and national decarbonisation commitments. As part of this transformation, the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme (PCAS) will, over the coming years, establish engineering and ecology works on 33,000 ha of bogs to accelerate natural restoration processes. 

Re-wetting of Peatlands for Enhanced Restoration (“WET-PEAT”) will work in parallel with the PCAS by providing an independent monitoring programme that will (1) assess and supplement the work of PCAS (2) deliver recommendations and, where needed, carry out changes in the management and execution of rehabilitation measures in up to five sites (3) provide an evaluation of the water quality and hydrological improvements, and (4) disseminate all knowledge gained to stakeholders and the general public. 

Four sites have been selected as part of this study. These are: (1) Castlegar, Co. Galway (2) Ballycon, Co. Offaly (3) Clooneeny, Co. Longford, and (4) Ballaghurt, Co. Westmeath.