Assessment and Mapping of the Drainage Status of Ireland's Peatlands

Peatlands are an important part of ecosystems that provide benefits for biodiversity conservation, water regulation, and carbon sequestration. However, human activities such as land drainage, peat extraction, and agricultural conversion have significantly degraded these peatlands. This degradation has transformed peatlands from carbon sinks into sources of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly when converted to grasslands. In alignment with the EU Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, various initiatives have been implemented to manage, restore, and monitor emissions from Ireland's peatlands. A lack of comprehensive information about peatland drainage conditions poses a challenge for accurately mapping Ireland's peatland. This research accesses and maps the peatland’s drainage status (shallow or deep) through remote sensing technology (i.e., drones), on-field vegetation surveys, and hydrological monitoring. The peatland site was surveyed to assess and map the vegetation and drainage changes. Peat depth and scorecard results classified the site fields in terms of wet vegetation species and hydrology. The outcome of the research gives baseline to indicate peatland site shallow or deeply drained based on drone and on field surveying.