The Abbeyleix Bog Project (ABP) conserves and protects the bog which was once threatened with harvesting for peat moss. Our local community will manage our Bog for a period of at least 50 years. The Abbeyleix Bog Project is an open access amenity developed by volunteers to benefit all.
The Abbeyleix Bog Project (ABP) stemmed from a local action group known as AREA (Abbeyleix Residents for Environment Action) which was established in 2000 to conserve and protect the bog which was threatened with harvesting for peat moss. Following negotiations with Bord Na Móna a lease was signed in 2010 which handed the bog over to the local community to manage for a period of 50 years with a primary focus on conservation.
The ABP will develop, using a Community-Based Natural Resource Management approach, its Conservation Management Plan (CMP) and Business Management Plan (BMP) in order to maximize the ecological benefits to the local community in terms of education, employment, income and recreation.
