Goals and objectives of bog peatland restoration

The term "ecological restoration" means the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. In the case of peatland, the goal of restoration after peat mining is to re-establish self-regulatory mechanisms that will lead back to functional peat accumulating ecosystems. Of course, this process takes time, and short-term objectives of peatland restoration have also been defined:

• Re-establishment of a typical peatland plant cover, including Sphagnum mosses, a key species for a functional peat-accumulating ecosystem;
• Re-establishment of the hydrological regime by blocking ditches and improving microclimatic conditions.

The Association des producteurs de tourbe horticole du Québec (APTHQ) presents on its website an animation detailing the steps to restore a bog with method developed by the PERG since the late 1990s in Canada. See http://tourbehorticole.com/en/responsible-production/restoration.php