Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 22 November 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Sequestration and Land Management-Nature Restoration: Discussion (Resumed)

Dr. James Moran:

To clarify, we are talking about different things. Dr. Byrne talked about the rewetting of forests, whereas Professor Joosten and I talked about the rewetting of peatlands and grasslands, which are two very different matters. We did a lot of damage to all these systems by draining them in the first instance, and we have done a lot of damage to peatlands by putting forests on them. The question is whether we are going to do more damage by rewetting them. In that case, it is uncertain whether we would do more harm than good by rewetting forests, but we will certainly do good by rewetting grasslands and peatlands in terms of carbon balances.

As for the uncertainty relating to the measurement of this, there is uncertainty. Much of it depends on the prediction of whether the rewetting will be successful. This is why we are going along the lines of these results-based payments and paying for carbon nature and water in an integrated framework, and using the plan's indicators for the basis of payments, as Professor Joosten outlined. We can now make these payments to farmers based on the success of rewetting as measured by the plants that will come back to these areas and the effective rising of the water table. That has been trialled successfully throughout the west, the north west and the midlands. We can make these payments and carry out the measurements at the same time to verify the carbon on this.

It was frustrating to hear what was said last week. We do not have time to wait for research and monitoring; we must take action now. Action on the rewetting of peatlands and the raising of the water tables on grasslands will have a positive carbon dividend. We do not know the exact figures, but we can sure as hell find out with a monitoring period and run it alongside while we are taking action at the same time. We cannot afford to delay anymore.