living landscape with a vibrant local community. A number of groups are co-ordinated through the Burren Connect Project, and with support from the geological Survey of Ireland, Ronán Hennessy was brought in to provide on the spot geological expertise. While the Burren offers a mix of attractions, there have been few, if any dissenting voices in declaring wholehearted support for a common strategy to maintain the Burren’s most valuable cultural and natural assets. one of the advantages of geology is that it helps to bind all of these various interests together, and for this reason the concept of promoting the Burren as a geopark is highly attractive. The term, geopark, as Ronán explained, is not lightly used. Winning the right to use the term officially requires meeting quite stringent conditions. An international organisation must be satisfied that the area defined is of outstanding, and possibly unique, geological interest. That’s not all by a long shot. The area must be managed in a sustainable manner, the project must be financially viable, and it must involve the local community. Satisfying these conditions, said Ronán, is quite difficult, but it is a challenge, and the rules provide a blueprint on how to develop an area of outstanding interest without destroying its attractions. A number of geoparks now exist around the world, and in some ways they could be compared to World Heritage
Burren Limestone
Lower Limestone Tubber Limestone
Slievenaglashna Limestone Clare Shale Gull Island Formation
Central Clare Siltstone, Sandstone and Mudstone Group
Cli
ffs of M
oh er
Devonian Sandstone
Sites. In Ireland, the Copper Coast, Co Waterford, is an official Geopark, as is the Marble Arch Cave in Fermanagh which features in Science Spin issue 42. If the Burren succeeds in gaining this recognition, it would be a huge boost for the region but as Ronán pointed out, winners are not allowed to rest on their laurels. Performance is always kept under review, and if targets are not being met, the recognition can be withdrawn. In aiming to satisfy these demands, the educational aspect of the Burren is highly important, and this has
been helped enormously by collaboration with partners in norway, Finland and Iceland. Ireland is in a partnership with these countries through the northern Environmental Education Development, nEED. The objectives of nEED are to create geological and environmental learning resources, and in Ireland this ha