Heritage status for Ireland’s geoparks

IRELAND’S three geoparks – The Burren & Cliffs of Moher, Copper Coast, and Marble Arch Caves – have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage site status. 

The Copper Coast park is in Co. Waterford, the Burren & Cliffs of Moher is in Co. Clare, and the Marble Arch Caves park is in Co. Fermanagh, and stretches across the Northern Ireland border into Co. Cavan.

Professor Patrick McKeever at UNESCO explained: ‘UNESCO has, for the first time since the signing of the World Heritage Convention in 1972, created a new site designation, the UNESCO Global Geopark. These are areas where the memories of our planet are written, but they are also living areas, with vibrant communities, and strategies to promote sustainable economic development and are linked together in a worldwide network of cooperation.

‘In Ireland, the three UNESCO global geoparks have geological heritage of international value but they all face different challenges. The Burren & Cliffs of Moher has the challenge of managing the visitors to this magnificent part of #Ireland in a way that doesn't diminish the visitor experience or damage the environment or the quality of life for those who live here. It has facilitated many local initiatives which not only offer the visitor a wider range of things to do and the chance to stay longer, but do so in a way that is inclusive of the local communities and helps spread the benefit of tourism wider.’

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Picture Credit: Copper Coast Geopark by Veekrokki - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons