Data from: 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 Sphagnum, and vascular plants recolonised
rapidly, with peatland specialists such as cottongrass (Eriophorum spp.)
establishing across open pools, moss lawns and raised hummocks. 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, but contained more hydrophilic taxa and 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 farmland 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.