Irrigate peatland (before/after planting)

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

60%
Certainty

20%
Harms

5%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Irrigation systems, such as sprinklers, could be used to maintain a damp peat surface and stop planted vegetation from drying out (Rochefort & Bastien 1998). Water could be recirculated from drainage ditches or ponds on the peatland. Irrigation can be expensive so may be best used as a short-term intervention to kick-start restoration.

Caution: A suitable water source, with the right level of nutrients and acidity/alkalinity, must be chosen to avoid altering chemical conditions on the peatland (Lamers et al. 2002). For example, bogs should only be irrigated with water stored on the bog, not ground water. Taking water for irrigation might reduce water levels in neighbouring wetlands.

Key peatland types where this action may be appropriate: bogs, fens/fen meadows, tropical peat swamps.

^{Lamers L.P., Smolders A.J.P. & Roelofs J.G.M. (2002) The restoration of fens in the Netherlands. Hydrobiologia, 478, 107–130.}

^{Rochefort L. & Bastien D.F. (1998) Réintroduction de sphaignes dans une tourbière exploitée: évaluation de divers moyens de protection contre la dessiccation (Reintroduction of Sphagnum to an exploited bog: evaluation of various methods for protection against desiccation; in French). Écoscience, 5, 117–127.}

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects, on peatland vegetation, of irrigating areas planted with peatland plants. The study was in a bog.
Cover (1 study): One replicated, paired, controlled, before-and-after study in a bog in Canada found that irrigation increased the number of Sphagnum moss shoots present 1–2 growing seasons after sowing Sphagnum fragments.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, paired, controlled, before-and-after study in 1993–1994 in a historically mined bog in Quebec, Canada (Rochefort & Bastien 1998) found that irrigating plots sown with Sphagnum-dominated vegetation fragments increased the number of Sphagnum moss shoots present. The effect was biggest after one growing season (irrigated: 250–630 shoots/m²; not irrigated: 60–310 shoots/m²) but persisted after two growing seasons (irrigated: 95–770 shoots/m²; not irrigated: 50–390 shoots/m²). Irrigation also increased the number of Sphagnum shoots in additional plots that were not sown (see intervention Irrigate peatland). In spring 1993, three pairs of plots were established on slightly drained, bare peat. Sections of each plot were sown with vegetation fragments, dominated by one of three Sphagnum moss species (250 fragments/m²). Three plots (one plot/pair) were irrigated during the summer, using sprinklers and water stored on the bog. The other plots were not irrigated. In autumn 1993 and 1994, all Sphagnum shoots were counted in forty 30 x 30 cm quadrats/plot.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Rochefort L. & Bastien D.F. (1998) Reintroduction of Sphagnum to an exploited bog: evaluation of various methods for protection against desiccation. Écoscience, 5, 117-127.

Please cite as:

Taylor, N.G., Grillas, P. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Peatland Conservation. Pages 367-430 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Peatland Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Create mounds or hollows (before planting) Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	3	Synopsis Link
Use fences or barriers to protect planted vegetation Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Remove upper layer of peat/soil (before planting) Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link