FRONT LINE
Pintail by Mike Brown
Front Line I VARIOUS PROJECTS AND RESEARCH INITIATIVES ARE HELPING BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO THE WETLANDS OF LAOIS AND OFFALY, WRITES ANNE SUNDERMANN
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n February 2021, the Laois/Offaly Branch of IWT moderated a webinar featuring representatives from notable wetlands in counties Laois and Offaly. The panelists described their restoration successes and challenges, old and new (you can watch it on the IWT Laois/ Offaly YouTube channel). More than 310,000 hectares of Ireland’s landmass is classified as wetlands, with much concentrated in the heartland in these two counties. Although all are different, each area of peatlands, boglands or river floodplain shows the promise – and the challenges – of these oftforgotten and more often neglected landscapes. Visits to sites such as Abbeyleix Bog, Clara Bog, Lough Boora, Shanahoe wetlands and the Shannon Callows will
instill a sense of the timelessness of these special places. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AT ABBEYLEIX BOG
“Hydrology determines habitat”, according to Abbeyleix Bog Project volunteer Chris Uys. From uplands and bog woodlands to the deepest drainage ditches, the connection between habitat and hydrology, including the composition of the waters, the acidity and the mineral content, inform how these wetland sites are managed. Old drainage ditches that bisect Abbeyleix show the impacts of land use. The drains were blocked in 2009 and the bog rewetted. A defunct rail line bisects the bog, making it an accessible trail for visitors.
Irish Wildlife Summer ‘21
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