Ecology and tourism experts from the EU will be in Kinnitty Castle, Co Offaly, tomorrow to attend an international conference on "Real Green Tourism".
The conference is part of an unique eco-tourism and biodiversity project delivered by the Slieve Bloom Rural Development Society.
The project aims to create greater environmental awareness and appreciation of the Slieve Blooms as well as strengthening the region as a tourism and educational resource.
Christina Byrne, chairwoman of the Slieve Bloom Rural Development Society, said everyone living in the Slieve Blooms had a part to play in the aims of the eco tourism project.
"The promotion of environmentally friendly practices in farming, waste management, recycling and renewable energy are essential parts of our project," she said.
The society, based at Kinnitty, established the Eco-Tourism and Biodiversity Project to create greater environmental awareness and appreciation of the Slieve Bloom Environmental Park.
It aims to strengthen the viability of the region as a tourism and educational resource in the Midlands, providing training and other supports for local people.