Connecting Communities With Peatlands | Community Wetlands Forum

What We Do

CCWP is a capacity building project for communities living near bogs in the Midlands to support them in the transition from industrial peat harvesting to peatland restoration, conservation for sustainable communities.

About the Project

Connecting Communities with Peatlands (CCWP) is a Just Transition Fund project which aims to equip communities in the Midlands with knowledge, skills, tools, experience, and research through training and the Community Wetlands Forum network to encourage and motivate community-led peatland engagement, conservation, and management for sustainable communities.

The project is led by Irish Rural Link and the Community Wetlands Forum.

What is Just Transition?

The concept of Just Transition in relation to climate change emerged in the 1990s. It was developed by North American trade unions seeking to provide supports for workers who lost their jobs due to changes to environmental protection policies.

However, this concept evolved into a plan to invest in transitioning to environmentally and socially sustainable economies and communities.

‘Just Transition’ was included in the Paris Climate Agreement 2015 and has since incorporated the Sustainable Development Goals, such as Goal 8 Decent Work, Goal 7 Affordable and Clean Energy Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 13 Climate Action, and Goal 1 No Poverty.

“A just transition for all towards an environmentally sustainable economy … needs to be well managed and contribute to the goals of decent work for all, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty.” – International Labour Organisation

Social dialogue underpins Just Transition. For policies to be successful, employers, governments, workers, and communities need to be in conversation with each other to ensure environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable communities.

Community-led change is sustainable change. With the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, rural communities not only face an energy transition but an economic, social and cultural transition. With the right supports communities can take advantage of change and drive it for their benefit. We intend to deliver these vital supports to peatland communities.

What We Provide

We provide free capacity-building training for community groups to support them in their efforts to engage with their local bog. We cover a range of topics: heritage, the arts, conservation, education, community development, governance, recreation, tourism, etc. Since 2021, we have delivered the following trainings:

Conflict resolution for peatland communities
Leave No Trace Certified Awareness Training Course
Design thinking for communities
Plant Identification field trips
Knowledge and understanding of peatlands webinar series
- - What is a bog?
  - Plants and animals of the bog
  - Peatlands and culture
  - Rejuvenating the bogs
  - People and the bogs

We have recently launched a pilot mentoring programme for five community groups. Mentoring is peer-led and communities are matched with someone who has experience with peatland engagement and community development. We hope that we can extend the programme further in 2022.

Contact our project coordinator Aoife Kirk [email protected]

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