Major conference to discuss dealing with threats to ecology of the Burren

A major conference on how best to deal with threats to the future of the Burren is to be held next month.

The Burren Life Project's Farming for Conservation conference will take place in Ennistymon, Co Clare, between February 24th-27th. Among its guest speakers will be the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley.

Speaking at the launch of the conference yesterday, the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Tony Killeen, said changes to farming practices were threatening the ecology of the area, which had developed over thousands of years.

Mr Killeen, whose constituency includes the Burren, explained that grazing by livestock is declining, resulting in a growing problem of encroachment by scrub on the landscape and a loss of the biodiversity of plant and animal life.

This includes some of the rare flora for which the area is renowned, and it also obscures and damages the many archaeological monuments in the Burren, he said.

The conference will look in particular at the success of the Burren Life project which was set up three years ago to preserve the uniqueness of the Burren by ensuring that local farmers operate in a way that protects the environment there.

The €2.25 million project employs four project staff working with 20 "monitor farms" in the Burren area. Almost 40 different project actions are being undertaken by this group, including developing new feeding and grazing systems, removing scrub from flower-rich grassland, restoring internal walls and improving water supplies and site access.

Burren Life project manager Brendan Dunford said the conference will not only help to preserve the Burren, but will also examine other areas of conservation in Ireland.

"If you look at the map of Ireland, the special areas of conservation are often particularly associated with areas where farming is very marginal such as Connemara, Donegal and Kerry," he said.

"Ireland as a state is legally obliged to protect them. We want to see what approach works with farmers that can adopt new technologies and sustain old farming practices.

"It's very important not just for farming, but for conservation. If we fail to conserve these places, we will pay huge fines in years to come to the EU."