Restoration of exploited lowland raised bogs recovered plant and invertebrate taxa richness and peatland specialists within a decade

Peatlands represent important habitats for specialised species as well as vital carbon sinks. Ecological restoration of peatlands by government and NGOs has become an increasingly common approach to tackle their degradation, driven primarily by the climate change mitigation agenda targeting enhanced carbon storage and, secondarily, biodiversity conservation. We assessed biodiversity restoration of lowland raised bogs previously exploited for commercial horticulture substrate production. After industrial extraction, restoration of two exploited peatlands in Northern Ireland included laser-levelling, creation of bunded cells, seeding with donor material, and raising the water table to rewet each site in stages over a decade. Restored cells representing a 10-year chronosequence were compared to bare peat, unrestored areas, and protected, near-natural lowland raised bogs which were taken as reference sites. Bryophytes, including extensive Sphagnum moss lawns and raised hummocks, re-established quickly, alongside the swift recolonisation by vascular plants, particularly peatland specialists such as cottongrass (Eriophorum spp.). Changes in the invertebrate communities were less pronounced, although restored sites supported more aquatic and peatland specialists than reference sites. After 10 years, restored plots matched reference sites in taxonomic richness, and contained more hydrophilic taxa but slightly lower invertebrate abundance. Reference lowland raised bogs had been historically drained and hand-cut for turf pre-designation, and ongoing atmospheric nitrogen deposition from nearby farming may have influenced community composition, resulting in drying and succession to more heath-associated communities. Thus, restored commercially exploited lowland raised bogs can rapidly re-establish species-rich, peatland-like communities, demonstrating the clear biodiversity benefits of active restoration.