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Water Forum webinar, Friday 21 May: managing peatlands to improve water quality, climate change mitigation and biodiversity

The webinar will provide an opportunity to disseminate and discuss research commissioned by An Fóram Uisce on how peatlands need to be managed to improve water quality and the how community engagement is essential to realise positive environmental outcomes.

Session 1: Dr Florence Renou-Wilson and Dr David Wilson will present research on how peatlands can be managed to improve water quality.

Dr Derek Mc Loughlin will discuss the practical application of results based payments for environmental outcomes in peatlands.

Session 2: Kate Flood will present on the Cultural ecosystem services and social values provided by peatlands along with contributions from Chris Uys of Abbeyleix Bog project and Tina Claffey, award winning photographer.

Registration: You can register for free at this link

10:00	Welcome and introduction Prof. Tom Collins, Chair of An Fóram Uisce
	Session 1: Managing peatlands to improve water quality, climate change mitigation and biodiversity
10:15	An introduction to peatlands; natural, degraded and rewetted – Dr Florence Renou-Wilson, UCD
10:30	Carbon cycling in natural, drained, and rewetted peatlands – Dr David Wilson, Earthy Matters
10:45	Blanket bog management and Results-based Payment Schemes (RBPS) – Dr Derek McLoughlin, Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE IP
11:00	Questions and answers
	Session 2: Cultural ecosystems services and the social values of peatlands
11:30	Cultural ecosystems services and the social value of peatlands – Kate Flood, NUIG
11:45	Community-led conservation at Abbeyleix bog, for the common good – Chris Uys, Abbeyleix Bog project
12:00	Otherworldly wonders of the bog – Tina Claffey, award-winning Irish nature photographer
12:10	Questions and answers
12:30	Closing address: Professor Tom Collins, Chair, An Fóram Uisce

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.