Grazing in
the Burren:
resuscitating ancient traditions for participatory conservation

March, 2021

Years of tensions between farmers and policymakers in the Irish region of the Burren found relief when a researcher was brought in to study the impact of farming on local biodiversity. What he discovered paved the way for a locally targeted conservation initiative and eventually turned the Burren into an international example of successful citizen participation. The careful management of the region has earned it the European Diploma for Protected Areas granted by the Bern Convention.

Grazing in the Burren:

resuscitating ancient traditions for participatory conservation

March, 2021

Years of tensions between farmers and policymakers in the Irish region of the Burren found relief when a researcher was brought in to study the impact of farming on local biodiversity. What he discovered paved the way for a locally targeted conservation initiative and eventually turned the Burren into an international example of successful citizen participation. The careful management of the region has earned it the European Diploma for Protected Areas granted by the Bern Convention.

“Look, we need to do research down here. Because this just can’t continue.”

With these words farmer Michael Davoren paraphrases the sentiment amongst the farming community in the Burren in the late 1990s: an unrest that marked the beginning of something that was to reshape the future of the region completely.

“Look, we need to do research down here. Because this just can’t continue.”

With these words farmer Michael Davoren paraphrases the sentiment amongst the farming community in the Burren in the late 1990s: an unrest that marked the beginning of something that was to reshape the future of the region completely.

Burren, Ireland

The translation of the original Gaelic name of the region, Boireann, describes the region to a tee. This ‘place of stone’, covering more than 700 square kilometres in the West of Ireland, is dominated by a limestone landscape known as glacial karst. Karst is a visible relic of glaciation: the result of melting ice and water acting upon limestone, moulding it into spectacular formations.

The almost skeletal looks of the Burren can be misleading, as the area boasts an exceptional combination of flora and fauna. From between the rocks flourish species more commonly found in regions like the Alps or the Mediterranean, but also those more typical to the British Isles.

Image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Burren, Ireland
Image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

The almost skeletal look of the Burren can be misleading, as the area boasts an exceptional combination of flora and fauna. From between the rocks flourish species more commonly found in regions like the Alps or the Mediterranean, but also those more typical to the British Isles and Ireland.

Burren Green
Calamia tridens

An intriguing moth species that’s completely different in appearance to its close relatives. The Burren Green was discovered, unsurprisingly, in the Burren, and its presence is restricted to this area in the British Isles . Agricultural intensification, overbuilding and the abandonment of extensive grazing have, however, lead to a decrease in its population .

Spring Gentian
Gentiana verna

This alpine species is one of the most famous plants of the Burren due to its rare presence in Northern Europe. Ever since mowing and grazing in the Burren started decreasing in the 1940s, the population has been in decline. This is because the Spring Gentian cannot compete with the encroaching species of meadow grasses. However, the re-introduction of traditional winter grazing in the Burren — together with the local belief that picking this flower can increase a person’s risk of being struck by lightning — have contributed to the of the rare species.

Slow worm
Anguis fragilis

Despite their name and appearance, slow worms are neither worms nor snakes, but in fact legless lizards. Although a long-term local resident, this species is not native to Ireland. It was illegally introduced into the Burren region in the 1970s . The slow worm has been granted protected status due to its declining population caused by habitat change.

Hoary Rock-rose
Helianthemum oelandicum

The low growing Hoary Rock-rose is a local speciality. In Ireland it can only be found in the Burren and on one of the Aran Islands , in Inishmore. Its pale-yellow flowers open only in the sunshine. This vulnerable species is protected in Ireland under the 1999 Flora (Protection) Order, which means that its picking, uprooting, sale or possession is prohibited, except under licence.

Pine Martin
Martes martes

This little furry animal has always had a stronghold in the Burren, but in recent years it has appeared throughout other woodland areas as well. The pine marten is nocturnal, which makes it extremely hard to see during the day. Despite being listed as a least-concern species on the IUCN Red List, persecution by gamekeepers due to its predatory behaviour, loss of habitat and other human disturbances have caused a considerable decline in the pine marten population. Fortunately, nowadays pine martens are protected, and their numbers are steadily increasing.

Bloody Crane’s-bill
Geranium sanguineum

The abundance of this plant in the Burren is curious, because it usually thrives in warmer climates. In the Burren, however, it can be found alongside Arctic and Alpine species. The nectar-rich flowers of the Bloody Crane’s-bill are a favourite of many bee species. Not only that, the Geranium sanguineum has many astringent and antiviral properties.

Also exceptional is the role of human activity, particularly farming, in the conservation of the natural and built landscape.

The ancient local transhumance tradition of winter grazing is still practiced in the region. The cattle are let out to pasture on the rough limestone grasslands and heaths during the winter months. As the animals feed on the dead vegetation, mainly dominant grass and weed species, they allow dormant flora beneath to receive enough light to thrive later in their flowering season.

Investigating connections between farming and biodiversity

Read the transcription

“I was a full time farmer, I grew up in an Ireland that was totally undeveloped in the 1960s. And I left school in the 1970s. And I was an only son. So I went into farming. And it was a small farm, we had about 15–16 cows, and we milked out by hand and the milk went to the local creamery–.
Just as I left school, Ireland had joined the EU, so everything was beginning to change and milking machines were coming in. And as the farm was fragmented — so we went into something — and the idea was that I would earn a living from the production of beef. As that started to develop at the time — Europe was only 70 percent efficient in beef so the market was great. Before we only had England or Great Britain as a customer for our livestock. Now we had the whole of Europe. So the price had doubled. And we had a few great years. Of course we were encouraged back in those days to develop, there used to be a catchcry “One more cow, one more sow, one more acre under the plough” because Europe was seventy percent efficient and Ireland intended to fill that deficit. We made a very good stab at it, I like every other farmer worked very hard, doubled my output. We reclaimed the land and got a grant aided by Europe and Irelad to do that.
But as we went into the 1980s, I met my wife, we got married, built a house and had a mortgage, like everybody I had a mortgage of reclaiming the land. And the whole effort together, I found I just couldn’t make ends meet. Even back then it was very, very tight. We were in recession back then just like we are at the minute with covid-19. To make a long story short, I went into the workforce. And I worked for 27 years and I would farm.
We move forward to the 1990s. — We went into overdrive and we started having mountains of beef and eggs, milk and wine. And that was unsustainable. So of course, the quarter system — that we have today, which ran for about 8 or 10 years, and that was translated into a single farm payment.”

“Now alongside all of that Europe got itself a conscience, an environmental conscience that is, so in 1991 the EU passed legislation that I think it was 12 or thereabouts percent of each country should become a special area of conservation. We didn’t really know what that meant. But we assumed it would be serious for us. It was during that period, there was a change of government here. So nothing happened for a year or two. The government here was told that they would have to be penalised severely if they didn’t implement the special areas of conservation. So there was only less than a year to implement it. And at the time, there was overgrazing in the peak hills in the west of Ireland in particular, but in different other parts of the country as well — which had to be stopped. So there was a “one size fits all” [implementation] and there was a 20 percent reduction in stock. Our reclamation was stopped. And the Burren was included in all of this, even though we were completely different to this “one size fits all” and the powers to be wouldn’t, it wouldn’t fit.
It was during this period that Burren IFA (Irish Farmers’ Association) was formed and it was roughly, IFA’s a national organisation and there was a branch in each of the 12 parishes that make up the Burren. So we used that as a vehicle to come together to see what we could do. And we called us Burren IFA and we had the backing of the national organisation. So we went to the government and made our case, the Minister for Agriculture at the time was Ivan Yates, he actually arrived at the Burren and looked at the place. He granted the forest derogation, that we could continue farming –. So anyway there was a barter between IFA nationally and the government on us getting that derogation. There were all kinds of conditions which were unworkable, like dates. You couldn’t go into wintrage before the first November and you had to be gone by the first of April. There were many other conditions. So the silage was kind of more or less stopped. And there was no other supplement.
It was during that period that we went to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and said: “Look, we need to do research down here. Because this just can’t continue. We’re going to go broke as farmers and you’ve got a commitment to Europe that you’re going to keep these scenes in pristine condition, and you’re not able to do that. You need us to farm to do so.” We were granted a PhD student from UCD (University College Dublin). And his job was to do an impact study on the natural heritage of the Burren. And the student was Brendan Dunford.”

The 1990s were marked by growing restlessness in the farming community of the Burren. In the audio clip below, Burren farmer Michael Davoren explains why:

The EU had put in place a Directive to designate Special Areas of Conservation all over Europe, but the implementation of the order in the Burren, a region where farming traditions have strong connections to natural heritage, was difficult. Irish conservation authorities and farmers in the Burren had agreed upon the need to conduct research on the relationship between farming and biodiversity in the area. A PhD project was put on offer.

The challenge was accepted by a then twenty something year-old Brendan Dunford. Being from a farmer family himself and having just finished a Master’s degree in Environmental Resource Management, Dunford found the project extremely intriguing. Little did he know that he was about to embark on his life’s work.

So, when I finished the Master’s, this PhD came up for offer and I thought, well, I’m really interested in this connection between people and places, the background of farming. And I don’t really know the Burren very well, but it sounds exciting. So it’s a happy accident, really.
But also, archaeologically it’s very rich because farmers have been here for six thousands of years and have used this limestone construct, portal dolmens, Megalithic tombs, ringforts, churches, different structures. And also it has a lot of unique farming traditions, including one of outwintering where the cattle go up the hills around this time of year, October, and stay up for the winter. So that’s quite a unique transhumance tradition. And it’s also responsible, partly responsible, I guess, for the presence of so much biodiversity in the Burren, because when all the farms are sleeping, normally in the winter, the animals munch away the dead grasses and vegetation, and when the cattle are moved in spring, all these beautiful Alpine and Mediterranean and Arctic plants appear flourishing on the grass.

Dunford’s PhD took place at a time when the agricultural sector had developed to favour efficiency, which meant that letting the cattle graze in the hills over the winter was no longer a good enough livelihood for farmers. In many cases it was much more efficient to farm intensively in the lowlands during the summer and to house the animals for the winter.

Dunford compared grassland habitats with different grazing regimes across the Burren and found that there was a greater diversity of species in areas where grazing happened primarily in the wintertime. In addition to revealing the importance of the tradition, Dunford looked for solutions together with local farmers to enhance winter grazing activities: developing new feeding and water systems as well as ways to address encroaching species.

“There’s a perception that farming can be very damaging if it’s done the wrong way. Using heavy machinery and chemicals can indeed be especially damaging. But, when it’s done properly, farming can lead to a lot in terms of biodiversity.”

The translation of the original Gaelic name of the region, Boireann, describes the region to a tee. This ‘place of stone’, covering more than 700 square kilometres in the West of Ireland, is dominated by a limestone landscape known as glacial karst. Karst is a visible relic of glaciation: the result of melting ice and water acting upon limestone, moulding it into spectacular formations.

The almost skeletal look of the Burren can be misleading, as the area boasts an exceptional combination of flora and fauna. From between the rocks flourish species more commonly found in regions like the Alps or the Mediterranean, but also those more typical to the British Isles and Ireland.

Burren Green
Calamia tridens

An intriguing moth species that’s completely different in appearance to its close relatives. The Burren Green was discovered, unsurprisingly, in the Burren, and its presence is restricted to this area in the British Isles . Agricultural intensification, overbuilding and the abandonment of extensive grazing have, however, lead to a decrease in its population .

Spring Gentian
Gentiana verna

This alpine species is one of the most famous plants of the Burren due to its rare presence in Northern Europe. Ever since mowing and grazing in the Burren started decreasing in the 1940s, the population has been in decline. This is because the Spring Gentian cannot compete with the encroaching species of meadow grasses. However, the re-introduction of traditional winter grazing in the Burren — together with the local belief that picking this flower can increase a person’s risk of being struck by lightning — have contributed to the of the rare species.

Slow worm
Anguis fragilis

Despite their name and appearance, slow worms are neither worms nor snakes, but in fact legless lizards. Although a long-term local resident, this species is not native to Ireland. It was illegally introduced into the Burren region in the 1970s . The slow worm has been granted protected status due to its declining population caused by habitat change.

Hoary Rock-rose
Helianthemum oelandicum

The low growing Hoary Rock-rose is a local speciality. In Ireland it can only be found in the Burren and on one of the Aran Islands , in Inishmore. Its pale-yellow flowers open only in the sunshine. This vulnerable species is protected in Ireland under the 1999 Flora (Protection) Order, which means that its picking, uprooting, sale or possession is prohibited, except under licence.

Pine Martin
Martes martes

This little furry animal has always had a stronghold in the Burren, but in recent years it has appeared throughout other woodland areas as well. The pine marten is nocturnal, which makes it extremely hard to see during the day. Despite being listed as a least-concern species on the IUCN Red List, persecution by gamekeepers due to its predatory behaviour, loss of habitat and other human disturbances have caused a considerable decline in the pine marten population. Fortunately, nowadays pine martens are protected, and their numbers are steadily increasing.

Bloody Crane’s-bill
Geranium sanguineum

The abundance of this plant in the Burren is curious, because it usually thrives in warmer climates. In the Burren, however, it can be found alongside Arctic and Alpine species. The nectar-rich flowers of the Bloody Crane’s-bill are a favourite of many bee species. Not only that, the Geranium sanguineum has many astringent and antiviral properties.

Also exceptional is the role of human activity, particularly farming, in the conservation of the natural and built landscape.

The ancient local transhumance tradition of winter grazing is still practiced in the region. The cattle are let out to pasture on the rough limestone grasslands and heaths during the winter months. As the animals feed on the dead vegetation, mainly dominant grass and weed species, they allow dormant flora beneath to receive enough light to thrive later in their flowering season.

Investigating connections between farming and biodiversity

The 1990s were marked by growing restlessness in the farming community of the Burren. In the audio clip beside, Burren farmer Michael Davoren explains why and tells about his experiences.

The EU had put in place a Directive to designate Special Areas of Conservation all over Europe, but the implementation of the order in the Burren, a region where farming traditions have strong connections to natural heritage, was difficult. Irish conservation authorities and farmers in the Burren had agreed upon the need to conduct research on the relationship between farming and biodiversity in the area. A PhD project was put on offer.

The challenge was accepted by a then twenty something year-old Brendan Dunford. Being from a farmer family himself and having just finished a Master’s degree in Environmental Resource Management, Dunford found the project extremely intriguing. Little did he know that he was about to embark on his life’s work.

So, when I finished the Master’s, this PhD came up for offer and I thought, well, I’m really interested in this connection between people and places, the background of farming. And I don’t really know the Burren very well, but it sounds exciting. So it’s a happy accident, really.
But also, archaeologically it’s very rich because farmers have been here for six thousands of years and have used this limestone construct, portal dolmens, Megalithic tombs, ringforts, churches, different structures. And also it has a lot of unique farming traditions, including one of outwintering where the cattle go up the hills around this time of year, October, and stay up for the winter. So that’s quite a unique transhumance tradition. And it’s also responsible, partly responsible, I guess, for the presence of so much biodiversity in the Burren, because when all the farms are sleeping, normally in the winter, the animals munch away the dead grasses and vegetation, and when the cattle are moved in spring, all these beautiful Alpine and Mediterranean and Arctic plants appear flourishing on the grass.

Dunford’s PhD took place at a time when the agricultural sector had developed to favour efficiency, which meant that letting the cattle graze in the hills over the winter was no longer a good enough livelihood for farmers. In many cases it was much more efficient to farm intensively in the lowlands during the summer and to house the animals for the winter.

Dunford compared grassland habitats with different grazing regimes across the Burren and found that there was a greater diversity of species in areas where grazing happened primarily in the wintertime. In addition to revealing the importance of the tradition, Dunford looked for solutions together with local farmers to enhance winter grazing activities: developing new feeding and water systems as well as ways to address encroaching species.

“There’s a perception that farming can be very damaging if it’s done the wrong way. Using heavy machinery and chemicals can indeed be especially damaging. But, when it’s done properly, farming can lead to a lot in terms of biodiversity.”

Read the transcription

“I was a full time farmer, I grew up in an Ireland that was totally undeveloped in the 1960s. And I left school in the 1970s. And I was an only son. So I went into farming. And it was a small farm, we had about 15–16 cows, and we milked out by hand and the milk went to the local creamery–.
Just as I left school, Ireland had joined the EU, so everything was beginning to change and milking machines were coming in. And as the farm was fragmented — so we went into something — and the idea was that I would earn a living from the production of beef. As that started to develop at the time — Europe was only 70 percent efficient in beef so the market was great. Before we only had England or Great Britain as a customer for our livestock. Now we had the whole of Europe. So the price had doubled. And we had a few great years. Of course we were encouraged back in those days to develop, there used to be a catchcry “One more cow, one more sow, one more acre under the plough” because Europe was seventy percent efficient and Ireland intended to fill that deficit. We made a very good stab at it, I like every other farmer worked very hard, doubled my output. We reclaimed the land and got a grant aided by Europe and Irelad to do that.
But as we went into the 1980s, I met my wife, we got married, built a house and had a mortgage, like everybody I had a mortgage of reclaiming the land. And the whole effort together, I found I just couldn’t make ends meet. Even back then it was very, very tight. We were in recession back then just like we are at the minute with covid-19. To make a long story short, I went into the workforce. And I worked for 27 years and I would farm.
We move forward to the 1990s. — We went into overdrive and we started having mountains of beef and eggs, milk and wine. And that was unsustainable. So of course, the quarter system — that we have today, which ran for about 8 or 10 years, and that was translated into a single farm payment.”

“Now alongside all of that Europe got itself a conscience, an environmental conscience that is, so in 1991 the EU passed legislation that I think it was 12 or thereabouts percent of each country should become a special area of conservation. We didn’t really know what that meant. But we assumed it would be serious for us. It was during that period, there was a change of government here. So nothing happened for a year or two. The government here was told that they would have to be penalised severely if they didn’t implement the special areas of conservation. So there was only less than a year to implement it. And at the time, there was overgrazing in the peak hills in the west of Ireland in particular, but in different other parts of the country as well — which had to be stopped. So there was a “one size fits all” [implementation] and there was a 20 percent reduction in stock. Our reclamation was stopped. And the Burren was included in all of this, even though we were completely different to this “one size fits all” and the powers to be wouldn’t, it wouldn’t fit.
It was during this period that Burren IFA (Irish Farmers’ Association) was formed and it was roughly, IFA’s a national organisation and there was a branch in each of the 12 parishes that make up the Burren. So we used that as a vehicle to come together to see what we could do. And we called us Burren IFA and we had the backing of the national organisation. So we went to the government and made our case, the Minister for Agriculture at the time was Ivan Yates, he actually arrived at the Burren and looked at the place. He granted the forest derogation, that we could continue farming –. So anyway there was a barter between IFA nationally and the government on us getting that derogation. There were all kinds of conditions which were unworkable, like dates. You couldn’t go into wintrage before the first November and you had to be gone by the first of April. There were many other conditions. So the silage was kind of more or less stopped. And there was no other supplement.
It was during that period that we went to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and said: “Look, we need to do research down here. Because this just can’t continue. We’re going to go broke as farmers and you’ve got a commitment to Europe that you’re going to keep these scenes in pristine condition, and you’re not able to do that. You need us to farm to do so.” We were granted a PhD student from UCD (University College Dublin). And his job was to do an impact study on the natural heritage of the Burren. And the student was Brendan Dunford.”

“It was important for the farmers to be appreciated, for them to be able to say ‘Look, while some people say farmers are part of the problem, we feel that we’re part of the solution’.”

Dunford’s research not only resulted in a PhD thesis but also in a book called Farming and the Burren, published in 2002. The book was a sign for the farmers that they were respected and their livelihood and presence was truly needed in the region.

“It was important for the farmers to be appreciated, for them to be able to say ‘Look, while some people say farmers are part of the problem, we feel that we’re part of the solution’. And I think it was very empowering that their story had been listened to and they were recognised as being important to the future of the Burren,” Dunford says.

“It was important for the farmers to be appreciated, for them to be able to say ‘Look, while some people say farmers are part of the problem, we feel that we’re part of the solution’.”

Dunford’s research not only resulted in a PhD thesis but also in a book called Farming and the Burren, published in 2002. The book was a sign for the farmers that they were respected and their livelihood and presence was truly needed in the region.

“It was important for the farmers to be appreciated, for them to be able to say ‘‘Look, while some people say farmers are part of the problem, we feel that we’re part of the solution’. And I think it was very empowering that their story had been listened to and they were recognised as being important to the future of the Burren,” Dunford says.

Brendan Dunford

A bottom-up approach to conservation

The work Dunford started for his PhD continued in an EU funded LIFE project between 2005 and 2010, with an aim of addressing some of the issues identified in his previous studies. The BurrenLIFE project, preceding the current Burren Programme, focused on creating a blueprint for sustainable farming in the Burren together with local farmers.

A bottom-up approach to conservation

The work Dunford started for his PhD continued in an EU funded LIFE project between 2005 and 2010, with an aim of addressing some of the issues identified in his previous studies. The BurrenLIFE project, preceding the current Burren Programme, focused on creating a blueprint for sustainable farming in the Burren together with local farmers.

“We worked with farmers to find solutions for how to manage the land in a way that respects the environment, but also continues to deliver good food. Most of the ideas that came from farmers were tested on farmland and the results went back to the farmer,” Brendan Dunford says.

Dunford and his team managed to bring farmers together with the national conservation authority National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as well as the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority Teagasc to solve a common challenge in the BurrenLIFE project.

“Having scientific proof of the importance of farming to the conservation of the Burren in a certain way got the authorities on board. We could show them that farmers and their livestock are needed to sustain the high levels of biodiversity in the area,” Dunford says.

“It was a very positive exercise and brought people closer together. Most importantly, it gave us concrete information as to how we farm for nature in the Burren.”

The BurrenLIFE project was exceptional in many ways. It was the first project in Ireland to focus on farming for conservation and one of the few EU projects embracing a bottom-up, farmer-centric approach to conservation.

Read more about The Burren LIFE Project

“We worked with farmers to find solutions for how to manage the land in a way that respects the environment, but also continues to deliver good food. Most of the ideas that came from farmers were tested on farmland and the results went back to the farmer,” Brendan Dunford says.

Dunford and his team managed to bring farmers together with the national conservation authority National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as well as the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority Teagasc to solve a common challenge in the BurrenLIFE project.

“Having scientific proof of the importance of farming to the conservation of the Burren in a certain way got the authorities on board. We could show them that farmers and their livestock are needed to sustain the high levels of biodiversity in the area,” Dunford says.

“It was a very positive exercise and brought people closer together. Most importantly, it gave us concrete information as to how we farm for nature in the Burren.”

The BurrenLIFE project was exceptional in many ways. It was the first project in Ireland to focus on farming for conservation and one of the few EU projects embracing a bottom-up, farmer-centric approach to conservation.

Read more about The Burren LIFE Project

Freedom to farm

Before Dunford began his work in the Burren, initiatives for nature conservation had been poorly received amongst local farmers. Dunford believes this was partly due to the fact that the farmers felt that their practical knowledge of their land and experience in managing it was being ignored and they were no longer trusted — that others knew better than them.

Freedom to farm

Before Dunford began his work in the Burren, initiatives for nature conservation had been poorly received amongst local farmers. Dunford believes this was partly due to the fact that the farmers felt that their practical knowledge of their land and experience in managing it was being ignored and they were no longer trusted — that others knew better than them.

“If you get a letter saying your land is now protected and these are all the things you can no longer do, it can feel as if your much-cherished freedom to farm is taken away with no consultation.”

The BurrenLIFE project gave way to a new initiative, The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme, with a goal to implement the blueprint created together with farmers. The initiative started in 2010 and was consolidated as the Burren Programme in 2016, with Brendan Dunford as its Project Manager.

The Burren Programme builds on the lessons of the three previous phases, putting farmers at the centre of its activities. Its starting point was to ensure that farmers were part of the planning and design, not passive implementers of whichever practices were considered best for the region.

Recognition from

The European Diploma for Protected Areas is a prestigious international award granted since 1965 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. It recognises natural and semi-natural areas and landscapes of exceptional European importance for the preservation of biological, geological and landscape diversity and which are managed in an exemplary way.

In 2013, the Burren Region became the 72nd area to receive the European Diploma for Protected Areas. Much of the Burren region has been designated as part of the Natura 2000 network, while the region has also been awarded Geopark Status. But the Burren is a living landscape, and the hundreds of farm families who own and farm the Burren are the basis of its future conservation.

“If you get a letter saying your land is now protected and these are all the things you can no longer do, it can feel as if your farm is taken away with no consultation.”

Read more about The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme

However, although many solutions had been created to improve farming conditions in the region, Dunford and his team noticed that there were still farms where management practices didn’t change. When asked for the reason, the farmers confessed that there wasn’t enough incentive for them to let their cattle graze on the hills during wintertime.

“It was much easier for the farmer to build a house for the animals and keep them inside for the winter.”

To address this lack of interest, the Burren Programme embraced a result-based approach. The fields of the participating farms are annually assessed using ten criteria, such as level of grazing, amount of dead plant material, condition of natural water sources and condition of feeding sites. The better the score, and thus the environmental health of the land, the more ‘pay for performance’ public funding the farmer gets. Participation in the programme is voluntary.

“We allow the farmers total freedom to farm. We give them advice and support and help them in every way we can, but it’s entirely up to them as to how to manage the land and they are rewarded accordingly,” Dunford explains.

In addition to getting paid for the results, farmers can request funding from the Programme to improve the environmental infrastructure on their lands. Matched funding is available to improve water provision, repair walls, improve access to sites and remove encroaching species, for example.

The fruits of the decades-long development of the Burren Programme are being reaped by older and newer generations of farmers alike. Listen to 24-year-old Burren farmer Aoife Forde’s experiences:

My name is Aoife Forde, I am 24 years old. I live in the heart of the Burren, in County Clare. Since a very young age, I’ve always had a great love of agriculture and farming. When I was a small girl, I can remember going out with my dad moving cattle and having to stand in gaps. And it was something I always loved. I really, really, really enjoyed doing it. And when I completed my Leaving Certificate, so when I finished school here in Ireland, I went on to study agriculture and science in college, and then I also completed a Master’s in agriculture, innovation and sport recently.
I’ve been farming at home with my mother and my father for the last couple of years. It’s quite a different system to other parts of Ireland. Compared to my friends in college, for the wintertime, they would do different things. They would put their cattle in sheds and feed them silage, whereas I put mine up the mountain. They think it’s mental and I suppose when looking in at it, it is a bit, but it’s a very unique system that we have here in the Burren. I feel very, very fortunate that I’m able to farm in this unique landscape.
It goes back a number of generations, at least four or five at least, that we would have farmed here. My father was a farmer, my grandfather was a farmer, going back generations. It’s how people lived, how they earned their income in this part of the world.
I think it’s coming up on five years, we were in the first round of the Burren Programme and it really has been absolutely fantastic, what we’ve been able to do on our farm. A huge aspect for us is, we have two wintrages where our cattle go for the winter. One is quite accessible, it’s quite near the road and the other is up a green road. Before the Burren programme came along, you’d go up the green road and it was literally like driving up the side of a wall. It was so steep, it was so dangerous, it was so hard to get up to, and through the Programme, we’ve managed to dig out that road and have managed to create a very user-friendly road now. You can go and see cows in 15 minutes compared to before, it could take half an hour, an hour. It just had such positive benefits all across the Burren, you can see it in the entire landscape I suppose.

“If you get a letter saying your land is now protected and these are all the things you can no longer do, it can feel as if your much-cherished freedom to farm is taken away with no consultation.”

The BurrenLIFE project gave way to a new initiative, The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme, with a goal to implement the blueprint created together with farmers. The initiative started in 2010 and was consolidated as the Burren Programme in 2016, with Brendan Dunford as its Project Manager.

The Burren Programme builds on the lessons of the three previous phases, putting farmers at the centre of its activities. Its starting point was to ensure that farmers were part of the planning and design, not passive implementers of whichever practices were considered best for the region.

“If you get a letter saying your land is now protected and these are all the things you can no longer do, it can feel as if your farm is taken away with no consultation.”

Recognition from

The European Diploma for Protected Areas is a prestigious international award granted since 1965 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. It recognises natural and semi-natural areas and landscapes of exceptional European importance for the preservation of biological, geological and landscape diversity and which are managed in an exemplary way.
In 2013, the Burren Region became the 72nd area to receive the European Diploma for Protected Areas. Much of the Burren region has been designated as part of the Natura 2000 network, while the region has also been awarded Geopark Status. But the Burren is a living landscape, and the hundreds of farm families who own and farm the Burren are the basis of its future conservation.
Read more about The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme

However, although many solutions had been created to improve farming conditions in the region, Dunford and his team noticed that there were still farms where management practices didn’t change. When asked for the reason, the farmers confessed that there wasn’t enough incentive for them to let their cattle graze on the hills during wintertime.

“It was much easier for the farmer to build a house for the animals and keep them inside for the winter.”

To address this lack of interest, the Burren Programme embraced a result-based approach. The fields of the participating farms are annually assessed using ten criteria, such as level of grazing, amount of dead plant material, condition of natural water sources and condition of feeding sites. The better the score, and thus the environmental health of the land, the more ‘pay for performance’ public funding the farmer gets. Participation in the programme is voluntary.

“We allow the farmers total freedom to farm. We give them advice and support and help them in every way we can, but it’s entirely up to them as to how to manage the land and they are rewarded accordingly,” Dunford explains.

In addition to getting paid for the results, farmers can request funding from the Programme to improve the environmental infrastructure on their lands. Matched funding is available to improve water provision, repair walls, improve access to sites and remove encroaching species, for example.

The fruits of the decades-long development of the Burren Programme are being reaped by older and newer generations of farmers alike. Listen to 24-year-old Burren farmer Aoife Forde’s experiences:

My name is Aoife Forde, I am 24 years old. I live in the heart of the Burren, in County Clare. Since a very young age, I’ve always had a great love of agriculture and farming. When I was a small girl, I can remember going out with my dad moving cattle and having to stand in gaps. And it was something I always loved. I really, really, really enjoyed doing it. And when I completed my Leaving Certificate, so when I finished school here in Ireland, I went on to study agriculture and science in college, and then I also completed a Master’s in agriculture, innovation and sport recently.
I’ve been farming at home with my mother and my father for the last couple of years. It’s quite a different system to other parts of Ireland. Compared to my friends in college, for the wintertime, they would do different things. They would put their cattle in sheds and feed them silage, whereas I put mine up the mountain. They think it’s mental and I suppose when looking in at it, it is a bit, but it’s a very unique system that we have here in the Burren. I feel very, very fortunate that I’m able to farm in this unique landscape.
It goes back a number of generations, at least four or five at least, that we would have farmed here. My father was a farmer, my grandfather was a farmer, going back generations. It’s how people lived, how they earned their income in this part of the world.
I think it’s coming up on five years, we were in the first round of the Burren Programme and it really has been absolutely fantastic, what we’ve been able to do on our farm. A huge aspect for us is, we have two wintrages where our cattle go for the winter. One is quite accessible, it’s quite near the road and the other is up a green road. Before the Burren programme came along, you’d go up the green road and it was literally like driving up the side of a wall. It was so steep, it was so dangerous, it was so hard to get up to, and through the Programme, we’ve managed to dig out that road and have managed to create a very user-friendly road now. You can go and see cows in 15 minutes compared to before, it could take half an hour, an hour. It just had such positive benefits all across the Burren, you can see it in the entire landscape I suppose.

Local support receives praise from farmers

The Burren Programme is publicly funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as well as The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in Ireland. As there are ten years’ worth of data accumulated, the Programme can easily show to the funders how the environmental condition of the region has improved.

Local support receives praise from farmers

The Burren Programme is publicly funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as well as The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in Ireland. As there are ten years’ worth of data accumulated, the Programme can easily show to the funders how the environmental condition of the region has improved.

“Since we began, the fields’ score has improved slightly year on year. Unless the farmer scores five or more, they don’t get paid. Taxpayers save a lot of money because they don’t pay for bad quality management. It’s good value for money,” Dunford explains.

“We allow the farmer total freedom to farm. We give them advice and support and help them in every way we can, but it’s entirely up to them as to how to manage the land.”

However, the payments aren’t what the farmers most seem to appreciate in the programme. A recent study revealed that it was locality that was the most important reason for many to join the Programme. The Burren Programme holds a local office of six people who offer support to the farmers. They also take care of all of the paperwork if farmers want to take actions on their lands that require the approval of local or international authorities.

“Farmers know where to come to if they have a problem, if the payments are delayed or if they need advice. They can just knock on our door,” Dunford says.

The concerns voiced some thirty years ago by local farmers didn’t go unnoticed — instead, they sparked a chain reaction which has guaranteed the future of the Burren’s varied lives and livelihoods. It took a committed researcher and willingness from both local and national institutions to resuscitate the ancient traditions of this ‘place of stone’. Today, it’s a global example of participatory conservation.

“Since we began, the fields’ score has improved slightly year on year. Unless the farmer scores five or more, they don’t get paid. Taxpayers save a lot of money because they don’t pay for bad quality management. It’s good value for money,” Dunford explains.

“We allow the farmer total freedom to farm. We give them advice and support and help them in every way we can, but it’s entirely up to them as to how to manage the land.”

However, the payments aren’t what the farmers most seem to appreciate in the programme. A recent study revealed that it was locality that was the most important reason for many to join the Programme. The Burren Programme holds a local office of six people who offer support to the farmers. They also take care of all of the paperwork if farmers want to take actions on their lands that require the approval of local or international authorities.

“Farmers know where to come to if they have a problem, if the payments are delayed or if they need advice. They can just knock on our door,” Dunford says.

The concerns voiced some thirty years ago by local farmers didn’t go unnoticed — instead, they sparked a chain reaction which has guaranteed the future of the Burren’s varied lives and livelihoods. It took a committed researcher and willingness from both local and national institutions to resuscitate the ancient traditions of this ‘place of stone’. Today, it’s a global example of participatory conservation.

The evolution of the Burren Programme

Late 1990s-beginning of the 2000s
SITUATION ANALYSIS
  • PhD project: The Impact of Agricultural Practices on the Natural Heritage of the Burren
  • Book: Farming and the Burren
2005-2010
CO-CREATION OF SOLUTIONS
  • The BurrenLife Project
2010-2015
IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS
  • The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme
2016-
CONTINUING THE IMPLEMENTATION
  • The Burren Programme

The Burren Programme in numbers

328 farms involved

Covers approx. 1,800 fields and 23,000 hectares of land

Covers approx. 70% of protected areas in the Burren

Funding: 1.5 million €/year approx.

Average payment for action to farmer: 3,400€/year

Average payment for result to farmer: 3,600€/year

The evolution of the Burren Programme

Late 1990s-beginning of the 2000s
SITUATION ANALYSIS
  • PhD project: The Impact of Agricultural Practices on the Natural Heritage of the Burren
  • Book: Farming and the Burren
2005-2010
CO-CREATION OF SOLUTIONS
  • The BurrenLife Project
2010-2015
IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS
  • The Burren Farming for Conservation Programme
2016-
CONTINUING THE IMPLEMENTATION
  • The Burren Programme

The Burren Programme in numbers

328 farms involved

Covers approx. 1,800 fields and 23,000 hectares of land

Covers approx. 70% of protected areas in the Burren

Funding: 1.5 million €/year approx.

Average payment for action to farmer: 3,400€/year

Average payment for result to farmer: 3,600€/year