Peatlands Gathering 2026 – Restoration, Water Management and Sphagnum Recovery

Prepared by Tim Parfitt, General Manager, BeadaMoss

The Peatlands Gathering 2026 held in Tullamore brought together peatland practitioners,

researchers, landowners, policy makers and restoration specialists from across Ireland, the

UK and wider EU. The three-day event provided an opportunity to discuss current peatland

restoration practices; emerging research and the challenges associated with restoring

degraded peatland habitats.

A recurring theme throughout the conference was the importance of restoring peatland

hydrology and re-establishing peat-forming vegetation, particularly Sphagnum moss species.

Healthy peatlands provide a range of ecosystem services including carbon storage, carbon

sequestration, improved water quality, biodiversity enhancement and natural flood

management. As restoration programmes continue to expand, there is increasing interest in

how rewetting and vegetation establishment can contribute to long-term carbon benefits and support the emerging carbon and biodiversity credit markets.

Many discussions focused on the restoration of bare and denuded peat surfaces. These areas can arise following historical drainage, peat extraction, pollution, over nutrification, wildfire, erosion, overgrazing or other forms of disturbance. Establishing vegetation on exposed peat is not without challenges but offers a significant opportunity to address climate issues at scale.

During the event, BeadaMoss shared experiences from projects using BeadaHumok® as a

method of introducing living Sphagnum propagules to degraded peatland environments. The approach is designed to establish founder colonies of peat-forming mosses that can expand naturally across the peatland landscape as site conditions improve following rewetting and restoration works.

One topic that generated considerable discussion was the cost of Sphagnum establishment.

Recent commentary has highlighted the importance of understanding that restoration costs

are highly dependent on planting density and project objectives. There is no single cost per

hectare that can be applied across all restoration projects.Current planting densities used by practitioners range from approximately 2,500 BeadaHumok® propagules per hectare to more than 40,000 propagules per hectare. Lower densities may be appropriate where the objective is to establish founder colonies and encourage natural spread over time. Higher densities are often selected where accelerated restoration outcomes are required or where projects seek rapid hydrological and ecological benefits.

Depending on project scale and volume requirements, BeadaHumok® propagules typically

cost between €0.50 and €0.60 each, with planting completed by machine or by hand on less

traversable areas. While this provides a cost-effective restoration option, the overall cost per

hectare will vary significantly according to planting density and the outcomes sought by

project partners.

Increasingly, dense Sphagnum planting is being used by peatland partnerships, water utility

companies and catchment management organisations. In these projects, Sphagnum is

recognised as an important ecosystem engineer with a measurable ROI that helps retain water within the landscape, reduce erosion and sediment losses, improve water quality and

contribute to natural flood management objectives. Additional benefits include enhanced

biodiversity and reduced wildfire risk through the maintenance of wetter peatland conditions.

To support larger restoration programmes, BeadaMoss has developed a mechanised planting system capable of planting more than 1,200 BeadaHumok® units per hour. Mechanised deployment has the potential to improve efficiency and reduce the costs associated with delivering large-scale peatland restoration projects.

Many thanks to the Irish Peatland Society for organising the event, which provided an

excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences between practitioners working across a wide range of peatland environments. The discussions highlighted the importance of matching restoration techniques and planting strategies to site conditions and project objectives while continuing to build the evidence base for effective peatland recovery.

As restoration ambitions continue to grow across Ireland, the UK and wider EU,

collaboration between researchers, land managers, suppliers, contractors & restoration

practitioners will remain essential to achieving successful long-term outcomes for peatland

ecosystems.

The science is clear, the need is urgent, and the tools are available. BeadaMoss believes that

accelerated peatland restoration can deliver meaningful change at landscape scale, but only if we act decisively. The time for restoration is not tomorrow, it is now.