The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Aspirant Geopark

The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Aspirant Geopark
An Atlantic Edge Geopark Candidate in the West of Ireland
“a country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him...... and yet their cattle are very fat; for the grass growing in turfs of earth, of two or three foot square, that lie between the rocks, which are of limestone, is very sweet and nourishing."
1651
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Aspirant Geopark
1 National Walking Route 9 Sites of Geological Interest
4 Regional Walking Routes
11 Visitor & Information Centres 9 Viewing Points
2 Public Beaches
2 Educational Centres
2 Research Centres
1 Coillte Walking Route
2 National Cycling Routes
Burren National Park
2 Nature Reserves
National Monuments
National Schools
Farm Tours Co‐operative
Secondary Schools
Geo‐Learning Centre Network
Ecotourism Network
9 Tourist WWW Information Points
Conservation in the Burren
6 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)
2 Special Protection Areas (SPA)
2 Nature Reserves Protected Areas of Conservation
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Aspirant Geopark
Western Ireland
Carboniferous Limestones ~ 330 Ma
100km coastline ‐ Cliffs > 200m ‐ Underwater Caves
Glacial landscape – erratics – drumlins – striae
Karst landscape ‐ caves – karren – mushroom stones – “turloughs”
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Aspirant Geopark
Western Ireland
Geological Landscape – Burren = “Place of Stone”
Archaeological landscape ~ 6000 years of settlement
Unique flora – Arctic/alpine & Mediterranean flowers
Farming landscape – living landscape
Cultural landscape – Irish music – food – literature
Geosites
Publicly Accessible Sites
Coastal sites
National Park
Loop Walking Routes Visitor Centres
Beaches
Spring Water Wells
Public Amenity Park
Lakeshore
The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre
> 750,000 annual visitors
Exhibition Centre – Atlantic Edge
210 metres above sea‐level
International Area of Sea‐bird Conservation
Community Meetings
November 2008 – 9 Public Meetings
September 2010 – 3 Public Meetings
Press Release
Clare FM Interview
“...Map of Geosites”
“...Geopark Name”
Geo‐Learning Centres
The Burren Centre – Visitor Centre
Burren Outdoor Education Centre – Education & Activities
Burrenbeo Trust – Environmental Charity
Burren National Park – Conservation & National Park
Education Programme
“NEED – Northern Environmental Education Development” (Northern Periphery Programme) ‐ Primary & Secondary School
“Ecobeo – My Burren Heritage” – Primary School Education Programme
“Burren Geology & Landscape” – Adult Evening Course in February & March
Education Programme
Visitor centre staff training – geology and landscape
Tourism staff training – Farm Tours Co‐op Members
Burren geological map – published by Geological Survey of Ireland New geology book in press Ecotourism
Burren Ecotourism Network (BEN)
Established 2010
20 businesses ‐ more to join next year
First Group on the National Ecotourism Accreditation Scheme
Supported by Local Development Groups, Local Government; National Tourism Authority
Public Events: Walks & Talks
Evening Talks
University & School Presentations
Introductory Caving Expeditions Burren Rocks Week – EGN Week
Education and Learning Resources
www.GeoNeed.org
Google Earth – Geology; Soils;
Terrain; Photo Tours
Schools Rocks Pack –
Rock Samples; Maps
Geo‐Information Sheets
www.GeoNeed.org
Geoparks Objectives
Community participation in learning about and sharing knowledge about the landscape and geo‐
heritage
Conservation through visitor management
Promotion of ecotourism
and encouraging a sustainable approach to developing tourism
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Aspirant Geopark
An Atlantic Edge Geopark in the West of Ireland
“Go Raibh Maith Agat”
Thank you