On Saturday, the 23rd of August, the Peatlands and People LIFE project, in collaboration with BnM and the local Ballyforan Area Transition Team (BATT), hosted a guided ecology and heritage walk on the Ballyforan Bog, Co. Roscommon.

The walk, attended by more than 20 people despite rainy conditions, highlighted the bog's history, recent restoration measures, and how these efforts support climate action and the bog's biodiversity.

In 2.5 hours around the newly constructed 3.1km Ballyforan Greenway loop, attendees were able to gain insights into the bog's close link with Bord na Móna for generations and its use for industrial peat extraction in the past.

The re-wetted Ballyforan Bog by Bord Na Mona

Attendees saw first-hand how the bog has been radically transformed with the recent construction of a public amenity greenway around it, developed by the Ballyforan Area Transition Team. The bog has recently been re-wetted by Bord na Mona via the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme and Sphagnum Moss has been inoculated across the site as part of the Peatlands and People Integrated LIFE Project to support the restoration of peat-forming conditions and ultimately turn these peatlands back into carbon sinks.

Attendees learn about the bog's history