Welcome to another episode of Ours To Protect, as we take a closer look at biodiversity and sustainability in Co Clare.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has a very broad brief that includes responsibilities around the management, maintenance and development of State-owned National Parks and Nature Reserves.
The service also promotes awareness of natural heritage and biodiversity issues through education, outreach to schools and engaging with stakeholders.
Pat Flynn visited the Burren National Park in Clare to meet William Cormacan, Mid-Western Divisional Manager with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Did you know?
* The Burren National Park is located in the southeastern corner of the Burren in Co Clare and is approximately 1500 hectares in size. It contains examples of all the major habitats within the Burren: Limestone Pavement, Calcareous Grassland, Hazel scrub, Ash/Hazel Woodland, Turloughs, Lakes, Petrifying Springs, Cliffs and Fen.
* At a glance, the Burren might appear to be just a great big slab of stone and little else. It is, however, a very complex ecosystem. The habitats within the park grade into one another, creating a mosaic of habitats that are hard to isolate. Limestone pavement is often intermixed with calcareous grassland and hazel scrub, or ash woodland on limestone pavement.
* All the major Burren habitats are represented within the park. Around 75% of plant species found in Ireland are represented within the habitats of the Burren, including 23 of Ireland’s 27 native orchid species.
* There are a number of ongoing key conservation concerns in the Burren; the encroachment of scrub on monuments and Burren habitats, the disrepair of dry stone walls, damage by feral goats, monitoring of biodiversity and the impact of increasing visitor numbers. Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers engage in regular active conservation projects in the region.
Links
National Parks & Wildlife Service (Burren)
