Ulster Wildlife lead 10-year plan to bring Tyrone bog back to life

Haughey's Bog in Country Tyrone was previously drained and cut for turf.

A former commercially-harvested bog near Omagh, Country Tyrone, is set to be transformed via a project that Ulster Wildlife has described as the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

The plan will restore 30 hectares of severely degraded habitat over a period of 10 years.

The project is being led by Ulster Wildlife and An Creagán Centre.

The nature organisation said it will help bring nature back, improve water quality and tackle climate change.

Haughey's Bog

Peat-forming plants will grow again, wildlife will recover, flood risk will be reduced and the site will move towards storing carbon, Ulster Wildlife added.

Haughey's Bog in Country Tyrone was previously drained and cut for turf but plans are now underway to connect it with the Black Bog Special Area of Conservation, one of the most intact areas of active raised bog in Northern Ireland, located about 100m away.

Ulster Wildlife say that 80% of Northern Ireland's bogs are in poor condition.

Simon Gray, head of peatland recovery at Ulster Wildlife, described peatlands as "Northern Ireland's greatest natural asset".

"[They hold] over half of our land-based carbon stores, filtering masses of water and providing a vital haven for iconic wildlife."

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Mr Gray said that 80% of Northern Ireland's bogs are in poor condition, adding that the worst, including Haughey's Bog, are "dried out, devoid of life, and leaking tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere".

He said that restoring peatlands to a healthy condition is one of the most cost-effective nature-based solutions to tackling the nature and climate crises.

Education plan

Events and training days will also be delivered at the nearby An Creagán Centre to engage local landowners and the community in peatland restoration.

John Donaghey, manager of the An Creagán Centre, said the restoration of Haughey's Bog "has great potential to develop an ethos of valuing the fragmented remnants of raised bog and the local heritage".

He said it could also help support local farmers with advice, training and mentorship in "this important habitat restoration work".

Ulster Wildlife said it 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.

Groundwork on Haughey's Bog in Country Tyrone is expected to commence in 2025.