Glendun's Precious Peatlands

Aim

To restore the important blanket bog habitats on Glendun Nature Reserve, in the Glens of Antrim to restore wildlife and store carbon.

Glendun Nature Reserve brings together a mosaic of varied habitats but its blanket bog is the focus of this project. Covering approx. 35ha the peatland plateau reaches an altitude of 336m and the peat is more than 4m deep meaning it may have been forming for as much as 4000 years.

The blanket bog habitat here, like many areas of the Antrim Hills, has been modified over the centuries. Drainage ditches, dug to define townland boundaries, turf banks cut for fuel, and the encroachment of non-native sitka spruce and Leylandii are all pressures that this important habitat faces. 

Management at Glendun has also been challenging due to its remote location, its steep terrain and importantly because there is no formal vehicle access over the Glendun River to the nature reserve.

Ulster Wildlife proposes to not only restore key peatland habitats at Glendun but also develop access at the site so that we can continue to manage this important nature reserve into the future.  

This project would include 4 key elements:

Peatland restoration and management

Non-native species management 

Access and infrastructure facilitation (to facilitate restoration work and ongoing management)

Outreach and engagement

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made