Clochar na gCon

Clochar na gCon is an example of an intact Atlantic or oceanic blanket bog and national nature reserve of approximately 3,081 acres (12.47 km2) in County Galway.

Clochar na gCon
LocationCounty Galway, Ireland
Coordinates52°02′38″N 8°23′02″W
Area3,081 acres (12.47 km2)
Governing bodyNational Parks and Wildlife Service

Features

Clochar na gCon, officially known as Clochar na gCon/Bealacooan Bog Nature Reserve, was legally protected as a national nature reserve by the Irish government in 1999.[1] Along with Scragh Bog in County Westmeath, Cummeragh River Bog in County Kerry, parts of Clochar na gCon had been bought by the Dutch peatland conservationist, Matthijs Schouten, before being handed over to the Irish state.[2] Before its designation as a nature reserve, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council led a campaign to save the bog from turf cutting.[3]

Clochar na gCon bog is an intact example of an Atlantic or oceanic blanket bog which is part of the larger Connemara Bog Complex. The bog has a wide variety of rare flora, and hosts a number of important or threatened European fauna endemic to blanket bogs. Actively growing bog is a priority EU habitat.[4] In 1998 the insect species, Psallus confusus, was recorded at Clochar na gCon as a new species in Ireland along with the first record since 1898 of Salda morio. During the same survey, one of Ireland's rarest birds, the merlin, was found to be breeding at the site.[5]

References
  1. "S.I. No. 310/1999 - Nature Reserve (Clochar na gCon) Establishment Order, 1999". Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  2. Hickey, Donal (4 June 2007). "It's time to say slán to the slean". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  3. Viney, Michael (5 September 1998). "How rare is rare?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  4. "Clochar na gCon/Bealacooan Bog Nature Reserve". National Parks & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  5. Macconnell, Sean (14 August 1998). "New species of insect found in Galway bog". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
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