The Bog Blog – Glenveagh National Park
Cathal at a blanket bog, Glenveagh National Park
By Cathal S. Ryan
In early December, PhD student Cathal Ryan was invited to join the ‘Peatland Research Workshop 2023’ at Glenveagh National Park, organised by the LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature project. During this 2-day event, Cathal presented his PhD research, met with those managing the national park and doing peatland research, and went on to the blanket bogs of the park to see the condition of the peat and signs of erosion. The peat is not all in one homogenous state as some sections are more damaged than others. Due to this, Glenveagh’s blanket bogs are in a dynamic state that requires constant monitoring. Here Cathal discusses the importance of the national park and his observations from the trip.
Glenveagh National Park, located in the heart of Donegal County, is a habitat which includes lakes, rivers, peaked mountains and blanketing peatlands. The largest lake in the park is Lough Veagh, however, smaller bodies of water, known as lochans, exist throughout. Around the fresh bodies of water are forests that extend up the mountains where the slopes are too steep to accommodate blanket bog formation and growth. When the conditions for peat development are met, such as waterlogged soil, a covering of blanket bog prevails. Due to the different topographic and hydrologic systems in the National Park, differences in peat vegetation, formation and condition are evident.
Glenveagh National Park
Ireland has extensive coverage of blanket bog, which is a key part of the history of the island. There is also a global duty to protect such an environment due to the abundance found here when compared to the rest of the world. Glenveagh National Park exhibits why the protection of these peatlands is necessary. Historically the blanket bog has been extensively utilized by the local population as a resource. The peat flora has provided grazing for sheep and turf for burning. Large areas of blanket bog at Glenveagh have been marred through such activities. This affects the vegetation, wildlife and carbon-storing capacities of the peat soil and also opens up the environment to other damaging influences such as erosion. The uppermost peaks of the surrounding mountains are often bare rock. The loss of vegetation and cutting of turf have weakened the peat matrix allowing rain to erode the peat soil layer. Even today, after the park was established to protect the blanket bogs, gullies have cut through the weakened deposit creating peat hags and slumps.
Cladonia rangiferina
Peat hag and a peat gully
The bogs cover a range of altitudes from the lowlands, where they are often lake-side, to the higher elevations towards the summits of the Seven Sister Mountains. This altitudinal range influences bog drainage, therefore affecting the ecohydrology. In the dry patches, the vegetation includes Heather (Calluna) and Moor Grasses (Molinia). Bacciferous flora also carpet the drier peat landscape providing ample sustenance for the bog-dwelling fauna, these include crowberries, cranberries and blueberries. As the peatland becomes wetter, the flora changes to more damp-loving species like rushes and Molinia. A mosaic of mosses exists throughout the bog environment as well. These are important for water retention and peat accumulation.
Sphagnum capillifolum
Racomitrium lanuginosum
Despite the park’s establishment for conservation, the effects of overgrazing and peat harvesting are still impacting the condition of the blanket bogs. The high precipitation has etched away at the weakened peat deposits, creating peat hags and slumps. The uplands of the park are left bare exposing the underlying granite and schist bedrock. In the drier sections, the bog faces issues of a lower water table, therefore a thick flora blanket is needed to help reduce evapotranspiration. Although overgrazing has stripped away large swathes of the needed flora exposing the bare peat, facilitating increased evapotranspiration. The human impact has jeopardized the future of peatlands such as Glenveagh’s blanket bogs. If natural recovery is not possible, then peatlands may face rapid disintegration. This not only has detrimental effects on the flora and fauna that inhabit the environment but also risks releasing large stocks of carbon stored within the bogs. With this in mind, Glenveagh National Park has invested time and energy into bog management and restoration and has facilitated scientific investigations that aim to improve our understanding of blanket bogs.
