%0 Research Notes
%T Irish mires and their conservation
%A Salminen, Pekka
%D 1991
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 42
%N 2
%U http://suo.fi/article/9680
%X Originally over 17 per cent of the land area of Ireland was covered by mires. The Irish and Scotch occurrences of blanket bogs are among the most important in the world. There have also been excellent raised bog areas especially in the low-lying central plateau of Ireland. Due to turf burning, peat extraction and drying of peatlands during hundreds of years, the occurrence of mires in their natural state is becoming rare. Only some 100 000 hectares of scientifically and conservationally valuable peatlands are remaining, which is less than 10 per cent of the total peatland area of the country. Increasing international and national pressures for mire conservation have forced the Irish government to define goals for national mire conservation. According to the programme, 10 000 ha of raised bogs (3.2% of the original raised bog areas) and 40 000 ha of blanket bogs (5.2% of the original blanket bog areas), as well as a couple of thousand hectares of the remnants of the rich open fens are to be preserved. Yet, there are not adequate preservation resources available. Only one-third of the mire protection goals have been achieved.

Keywords: Blanket bogs, Ireland, raised bogs