Bleak bogs in Northern Ireland aren’t just soggy wastelands—they’re carbon vaults, and they’re falling apart. Peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests, but decades of overgrazing, drainage and peat cutting have left vast areas bare and eroding. Now, a pilot project near Mourne Mountains is testing a surprisingly simple fix: locally-sourced sheep wool.

The wool isn’t being knitted into jumpers—it’s being shredded and laid across damaged peat to hold the ground together. Early results show it works better than the usual plastic matting, and it costs about 30% less. ‘We’re using what farmers already have in abundance,’ said Dr. Eimear Ferguson, a peatland ecologist at Queen’s University Belfast leading the trials. ‘Instead of buying imported coir mats, we’re recycling wool that would otherwise go to waste.’

Why wool beats plastic in the bog

Peat bogs are acidic, waterlogged, and full of microbes that break down most organic matter fast. That’s why plastic mats have been the go-to for years—they last decades without rotting. But plastic doesn’t decompose, so it piles up as waste. Wool, though, is made of keratin, the same stuff in hair and nails. When buried in peat, it slowly rots but not before it’s done its job holding the soil in place.

In the Mourne trial, researchers laid wool mats over eroded gullies on a 12-acre site. After six months, the wool had absorbed enough moisture to clump into a natural barrier, reducing erosion by 40%. ‘It’s not just about stopping soil loss,’ Ferguson said. ‘The wool traps carbon as it breaks down, so we’re getting a double climate benefit.’

The project is part of a wider push to cut carbon emissions from degraded peatlands, which account for 5% of Northern Ireland’s total greenhouse gas output. Drainage and cutting peat for fuel or horticulture have turned once-vibrant bogs into carbon emitters. Restoring them is one of the cheapest ways to fight climate change, but funding is tight. That’s where the wool idea comes in.

Farmers earn while restoring the land

Sheep farming in Northern Ireland is struggling, with many farmers barely breaking even. But wool that’s too coarse for clothing is usually worthless—until now. The peatland project pays farmers £50 per ton for their coarse wool, giving them a small but steady income. ‘It’s not going to make anyone rich,’ said John McAuley, a sheep farmer in County Down who supplied wool for the trial. ‘But it’s better than nothing, and it’s helping fix the land we farm.’

The wool is collected, cleaned, and shredded at a local mill before being spread over bogs. So far, around 8 tons have been used, enough to cover about 5 acres. The plan is to scale up if the trials prove successful, with hopes to treat 50 acres next year. ‘If we can prove this works at scale, it could be a model for other parts of the UK and Ireland where peatlands are in bad shape,’ Ferguson said.

The bigger picture: peatlands as climate tools

Northern Ireland’s peatlands cover about 12% of the land, but only 15% of them are in good condition. Restoring the rest would lock up millions of tons of carbon for decades. The government’s Peatland Strategy aims to restore 25,000 hectares by 2030, but progress has been slow. High costs and a shortage of skilled workers are the main hurdles.

Wool offers a low-tech, low-cost solution that fits local resources. It doesn’t require heavy machinery or imported materials, and it creates jobs in rural areas. ‘This isn’t a silver bullet,’ Ferguson admitted. ‘But it’s a tool we didn’t have before, and it’s making restoration cheaper and more sustainable.’

For peatlands to do their job as carbon sinks, they need to stay wet and intact. Wool helps by holding moisture in the soil and preventing further erosion. In wet years, that’s a big deal—bog surfaces can dry out fast when exposed, turning from carbon stores into carbon emitters. The wool acts like a sponge, soaking up water and keeping the peat soggy.

What’s next for wool in the bogs

The Mourne trial wraps up this winter, with final results expected by spring. If the data holds up, the next step is to secure funding to expand the project. The team is already talking to DAERA, Northern Ireland’s agriculture department, about scaling up. ‘We’re hoping to treat 50 acres next year,’ Ferguson said. ‘If we can show it works at that scale, it’ll be hard to ignore.’

There’s also interest from Scotland and Wales, where peatlands face similar problems. Wool is cheaper than plastic, and it’s locally available in grazing regions. That could make it a go-to fix for bog restoration across the UK.

For now, the focus is on making sure the wool does its job without causing new problems. ‘We’re monitoring closely to check it doesn’t encourage moss growth in the wrong places or attract pests,’ Ferguson said. ‘But so far, it’s looking good.’

The bigger win might be the shift in thinking. Peatland restoration doesn’t always need high-tech solutions or big budgets. Sometimes, the answer is already in the fields, waiting to be used.

What You Need to Know

  • Source: BBC News
  • Published: May 15, 2026 at 05:40 UTC
  • Category: Environment
  • Topics: #bbc · #environment · #climate · #could · #northern-ireland-peatland-restoration · #sheep-wool-peatland-restoration

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Curated by GlobalBR News · May 15, 2026

🇧🇷 Resumo em Português

O Brasil, que já foi líder mundial no desmatamento de florestas nativas, pode aprender com uma inovação que chega de terras distantes: na Irlanda do Norte, a lã de ovelhas está se transformando em uma solução para recuperar turfeiras degradadas, ao mesmo tempo que reduz custos e sequestra carbono. A técnica, ainda pouco conhecida por aqui, usa um material abundante e local para restaurar ecossistemas que armazenam mais carbono do que qualquer outro no planeta.

A iniciativa, implementada em áreas de turfeiras degradadas — ecossistemas que cobrem cerca de 12% do território da Irlanda do Norte —, consiste em espalhar lã de ovelhas em camadas sobre o solo danificado. Isso ajuda a reter umidade, reduzir a erosão e facilitar o crescimento de musgos e plantas nativas, que por sua vez aceleram a recuperação do solo. Para o Brasil, onde as turfeiras amazônicas são fundamentais no combate às mudanças climáticas, mas também sofrem com a exploração madeireira e a drenagem ilegal, a abordagem pode oferecer uma alternativa de baixo custo e alta eficiência. Especialistas brasileiros já estudam soluções semelhantes, mas a lã irlandesa apresenta um modelo simples, escalável e com potencial de ser replicado em larga escala, especialmente em regiões com grande produção ovina, como o Rio Grande do Sul.

A próxima fronteira é provar que essa solução funciona em larga escala e com diferentes tipos de turfeiras, abrindo caminho para políticas públicas que incentivem a restauração ativa de áreas degradadas — um passo essencial para o Brasil cumprir suas metas climáticas e proteger seus estoques de carbono.