The initiative, led by local nature conservation charity Ulster Wildlife and the An Creagán Centre, will see 30 hectares of severely degraded habitat restored, equivalent to 74 football pitches – to help bring nature back, improve water quality, reduce flood risk, and tackle climate change.  

Over the next ten years, Ulster Wildlife will build on its experience and expertise in peatland restoration to rewet and rejuvenate Haughey’s Bog, which was previously drained and cut for turf, trialling different restoration methods including dams and bunds in strategic areas.  

These best practice interventions will help trap water on the bog, allowing peat-forming plants to grow again and wildlife to recover, as well as reducing carbon emissions and moving the site towards carbon storage.   

Restoring peatlands to a healthy condition is one of the most cost-effective nature-based solutions to tackling the nature and climate crises, but it needs to happen on a large scale and at pace.

Monitoring the water table, and greenhouse gas emissions, alongside monitoring specialist plants such as sphagnum mosses, and iconic wildlife such as snipe and large heath butterfly, will help assess the effectiveness of restoration.  

The aim is to share knowledge and learning with practitioners, farmers, contractors and researchers facing similar challenges across peatland landscapes at home and further afield, with techniques and the latest research showcased.  

Simon Gray, Head of Peatland Recovery at Ulster Wildlife, said, “Peatlands are Northern Ireland’s greatest natural asset, holding over half of our land-based carbon stores, filtering masses of water and providing a vital haven for iconic wildlife. However, over 80% of them are in poor condition, with the worst, like Haughey’s Bog – dried out, devoid of life, and leaking tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. 

“Restoring peatlands to a healthy condition is one of the most cost-effective nature-based solutions to tackling the nature and climate crises, but it needs to happen on a large scale and at pace. Collaboration and landscape-scale projects are crucial, and we are excited to be leading the way at Haughey’s Bog, educating and sharing best practices in peatland restoration to help transform these vital habitats across the country.” 

Plans are already underway to connect Haughey’s Bog with Black Bog Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – one of the most intact areas of active raised bog in Northern Ireland, located just 100 metres away.  Ulster Wildlife is working with Forest Service Northern Ireland to explore options for converting the conifer plantations, which separate the two sites, back into their natural bog habitat.  

The resulting bigger, better and more connected space for nature will allow wildlife to move, adapt and thrive, creating a wider peatland Nature Recovery Network over 200 ha in size. This will provide an opportunity to showcase a range of restoration techniques from a previously cutover bog, and afforested bog to an intact bog, all within easy reach of one another. 

This initiative has great potential to develop an ethos of valuing the fragmented remnants of raised bog and the local heritage in this area while supporting local farmers with advice, training and mentorship in this important habitat restoration work.

Events and training days will also be delivered at the nearby An Creagán Centre to engage local landowners and the community in peatland restoration and to share the rich heritage of the area –from the nearby standing stones and the mythical Creggan white hare to the homestead of Peadar Joe Haughey, after which the bog is named.  

John Donaghey, manager of the An Creagán Centre, said the restoration of Haughey’s Bog into a thriving ecosystem will be an important milestone.  

“This initiative has great potential to develop an ethos of valuing the fragmented remnants of raised bog and the local heritage in this area while supporting local farmers with advice, training and mentorship in this important habitat restoration work. We look forward to working with Ulster Wildlife, using our facilities and accommodation as a hub for activity and playing our part in helping Haughey’s Bog recover.” 

The acquisition of Haughey's Bog was made possible through funding from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), a philanthropic loan from John Smith, and generous donations by Ulster Wildlife supporters who left gifts in their wills. 

Ulster Wildlife is working with landowners, farmers, and communities across Northern Ireland to restore designated peatland sites along with large-scale peatland areas in need of restoration. The aim is to help bring back the rich diversity of species these sites once supported, as well as the host of benefits peatlands provide from flood prevention to carbon sequestration. Find out more about our peatland restoration work

Join us today and help bring nature back to Northern Ireland