In October 2024, the WaterLANDS Ireland Action Site organised the first ever peatland restoration training course in Ireland for peatland practitioners. The Irish Action Site is located at the Cuilcagh-Anierin Uplands Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a blanket bog site comprising 11 habitats and 7 species protected under the Habitats and Birds Directives.

The course was run by Dr. Guaduneth Chico, WaterLANDS Ireland AS coordinator through LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature. Read Guaduneth's interview in our Meet the Team series here!

Attendees of the restoration training course included ecologists, ACRES teams across the country, members of other European projects (such as Buffer+), staff from National Parks and Wildlife Services, Biodiversity officers from the County Council and members of the LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature team.

During the course, which was one week in duration, we explored the hydrological, ecological and geomorphological characteristics of peatlands before beginning to draft a Restoration Action Plan from start to end including field surveys, GIS analysis, mapping and implementation of the restoration techniques in collaboration with the local farmers.

This course, and the learnings that came from its development, are the first step in delivering this training across the country and building capacity across the different stakeholders involved in the WaterLANDS project.