The need to turn back the clock on Mayo bogs

COUNTRYFILE

THAT spell of cooler weather was certainly welcomed by many.

Yes, we enjoyed the sunshine alright, but it did very little for water quality.

Algal blooms occurred on many lakes and rivers, some of them toxic (especially to dogs), all of them unsightly and sometimes extremely smelly.

If there is one thing we simply cannot get by without it is water.

Traditionally we have always had more than enough. For some reason our water table was lowered rapidly this spring, and while rivers and lakes have been topped up nicely the underground aquifers upon which they depend are unlikely to have been properly replenished.

One result of this is that the next dry spell, should such a thing occur, will lead to a much more rapid shrinking of waterways.

The angling community have a keener eye on watery matters than most.

Who would ever have thought that anglers in this part of the world would be put off their favourite fisheries due to a lack of water, and this before summer has even kicked in?

One contributing factor is the widepsread draining of land that has been taking place for the last hundred years. We know the result – that low lying areas become vulnerable to flooding as water is rushed away from where it fell as rain.

Stories of homes and businesses being inundated are only too common. Indeed, they hardly raise an eyebrow among those who are not immediately affected.

We might ask: Is there any way to turn back the clock and 'un-drain' large areas to allow rainfall to percolate deep into the ground rather than run right off it?

Well, yes, there is – and work is slowly being started to do just that. For now our focus is on peatland. 'Rewetting' is a phrase often heard. This involves blocking drains on the bog in order to restore the peat that still remains to its previously waterlogged condition.

How could we possibly benefit from such action? In two ways. Firstly, water that is retained will trickle slowly through the soil and into streams.

These streams feed our rivers, keeping them topped up and far cooler than they presently are.

A constant flow of fresh water will prevent the build-up of harmful algae and the dangerous bacteria this produces when it begins to die and decompose.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, keeping peatland in a waterlogged state will dramatically reduce the amount of carbon being released into the air, which occurs when plant material within the peat breaks down, a process which takes place speedily on drying bog.

Not only that, but properly wet peatland actually grows and in doing so captures carbon from the atmosphere and locks it away, holding onto it until such time as it is drained again in the future.

The bog isn't merely a source of fuel. It works to prevent flooding and goes some way towards mitigating the harmful effects of modern human lifestyle choices on the environment.

It is also home to a wide array of wildlife that is constantly being pushed back from farmland as the nature of agriculture becomes more and more industrial.

We could use the skylark to illustrate this point. Just a few years ago skylarks could commonly be found on grassland.

New, fast growing ryegrass crops were developed and the larks lost their home. They can still be found on unimproved grassland – and on our remaining peatland, from where they will one day emerge to repopulate the entire country.

The skylark is just one of many birds that have had their territory limited. Add insects and mammals and the bog becomes a wild zoo, keeping species safe until we cop onto ourselves.