Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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148. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on his Department’s identification of opportunities for additional peatlands for enhanced rehabilitation, as committed to in the National Peatlands Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46043/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The National Peatlands Strategy and its implementation is being led by National Parks and Wildlife Service. The latest review contains an action to ‘identify opportunities for additional peatlands for enhanced rehabilitation, to bring significant benefits and contribute to Ireland’s target of being carbon-neutral by 2050’.

Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from peatlands, including wetlands and grasslands on peat soils, represent the largest sources of emissions in Ireland’s Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector. Ministerial responsibility for the Sectoral Emissions Ceilings for LULUCF sector was assigned by Government in July 2022 to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, coordinating with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Climate Action Plan has a cumulative target for 65,900 ha of peatland rehabilitation by 2030.

My Department is the Sponsor for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan funded Enhanced Decommissioning Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme (EDRRS) on Bord na Móna lands. The funding for the scheme ends in 2026 and to date over 21,000 hectares have been rehabilitated. EDRRS has been delivering GHG emission reductions, biodiversity and water quality gains as well as supporting a more just transition for the Midlands as we progress the decarbonisation of our energy sector.

My Department continues to engage with Bord na Móna and other stakeholders to identify further peatlands rehabilitation opportunities beyond 2026.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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149. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on his Department’s assessment of the contributing factors that led to three major peatland failures in 2020, as committed to in the National Peatlands Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46046/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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In December 2024 a complete series of reports (including technical notes) were published by DCEE on the contributing factors that led to three major peatland failures in 2020. This was a joint project between Geological survey Ireland (DCEE) and National Parks and Wildlife Service (DHLGH) initiated as a recommendation from the Shass Mountain/Drumkeeran Inter-Agency Working Group. The assessment and reports were prepared by Fehily, Timoney and Company. In undertaking this project a wide range of issues have been explored including ecological, geotechnical, geological, hydrological, hydrogeological and land use for the assessment of peat stability in order to understand the significant conditioning and triggering factors leading to these peat failures. These reports are publicly available and have been circulated to divisions within the relevant Government departments and agencies and local authorities who oversee and implement related policies. The reports are available on the GSI website at link below

www.gsi.ie/en-ie/programmes-and-projects/geohazards/projects/Pages/Assessment-of-main-contributing-factors-leading-to-three-major-peatland-failures-in-Leitrim,-Kerry-and-Donegal.aspx.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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150. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the scoping study report on mapping peat depth and carbon storage as committed to in the National Peatlands Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46047/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Geological Survey Ireland (DCEE) provided airborne geophysical data and technical assistance from the Tellus Programme to a research group in University Galway who have carried out a proof of concept for peat mapping using this dataset. This was applied to areas with available Tellus data and proved highly effective when compared to previous mapping using remote sensing or aerial photography and may be applied to the entire country when a national dataset is complete. The Tellus programme of Geological Survey Ireland is expected to complete acquisition of airborne geophysical data of the entire country in 2026 with processed data available in late 2026/early 2027. At such time it will be possible to apply this method nationally for a more accurate National Peat Map.

The research is available online at link below

research.universityofgalway.ie/en/publications/digital-soil-mapping-of-peatland-using-airborne-radiometric-data--7.