burren LIFE

Project Results

Non-recurring management

These project actions led to the enhancement of management facilities on all 20 project farms including:

• the restoration of c.15km of stone wall on 18 farms
• the installation of 21 new gates
• the purchase of seven mobile fencing units
• the construction, upgrading or extension of c. 5km of vehicular access track on nine farms
• improvements in water provision on 11 farms via installation of pumps, piping, storage tanks or new drinking troughs.
• scrub was controlled on c.100 ha of priority habitat and c.54km of * animal access paths were opened or restored to aid livestock movement and herding.
• new grazing regimes based on a system of grazing days were implemented which saw a doubling in the area grazed over the course of the project.
• the introduction of the new concentrate-based feeding systems led to a 61% reduction in the amount of silage fed on the project farms.
• findings from the BLP were incorporated into the new REPS IV and formed the basis for the new ‘Burren Farming for Conservation Programme’, Ireland’s first evidence-based, area-specific agri-environmental scheme.

Recurring Management

The forage quality of different vegetation types on the Burren winterages was examined and the data was used to formulate the BurrenLIFE concentrate feed.
The feed, 25% of the cost of which was subsidised by the project, was used by 17 of the project farms and satisfaction levels were high.
All farms were visited regularly in order to advise, check compliance, carry out assessments and share information which ensured a good two-way flow of knowledge and refinement of the work programmes.
The scrub retreatment programme resulted in kill rates in excess of 75% on conventional farms but demonstrated the difficulty of scrub control on organic farms.

Public Awareness

The public awareness and dissemination programme saw a great number of interactions between members of the project team and other interested individuals/organisations from Ireland and around the world,ensuring the wide dissemination of information concerning the project.
A very strong media profile was built up through publication of a large number of general interest articles. Locally, the very successful Heritage Education Programme ensured the involvement of local schools and reached the wider community.
A website, DVD and various publications including a series of best practice guides were also developed and widely distributed.

Project Operation and Monitoring

Project operation and monitoring saw the establishment of the BurrenLIFE office in the village of Carron, right at the heart of the Burren.
The environmental/ecological monitoring programme led to the development of the innovative Risk of Nutrient Transfer Model which indicates that the BurrenLIFE approach to farming in the Burren is better for the sensitive wetland ecosystems. It also provided evidence for improvements in the conservation status of the priority habitats and the positive impact of the improved grazing levels on the vegetation in terms of increased species diversity.
The agricultural monitoring programme indicated that the stock fared well under the new grazing and feeding regimes and gave agricultural credibility to the farming for conservation programme.
Analysis of farm finances via the National Farm Survey showed that, for the greater part, farming in the Burren is not capable of supplying an income equivalent to the average industrial wage, but an additional socio-economic study demonstrated the added value provided by farming for conservation in terms of externalities generated and proved that the public are willing to contribute financially to sustaining the landscape and biodiversity of the Burren.