merrion street

The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, congratulated Ireland’s BurrenLIFE project on receiving a prestigious Green Award at a ceremony in Brussels on the 30th of May to mark the 25th anniversary of the LIFE programme. Over 4,500 LIFE projects across Europe have been supported through the LIFE programme since 1992, with €8.7 billion invested in the environment, nature and climate action in this period.
At the event on the 30th of May, and following a public vote on Facebook, BurrenLIFE was presented with a Green Award, only one of two awards in this category.
Speaking today Minister Humphreys said:
“The Green Award is acknowledgement by the European Commission, and the many people across Europe who voted on Facebook, of the marvellous work of the BurrenLIFE project. It is a testament to years of hard work by the project team, the farming community in the Burren, and the continuing support of the staff of my Department.
“The seeds were sown in BurrenLIFE for what is now seen as a flagship initiative and is an inspiration internationally. The Burren Programme continues to develop and prosper and it is something that the people of the Burren and of Ireland can be justifiably proud”
The European Commission selected 15 past LIFE projects as nominees for Green Awards commemorate LIFE’s achievements. The nominees were selected by a jury and judges praised the BurrenLIFE project for its ‘phenomenal impact on a unique landscape…this Irish project pioneered a novel approach to farming and conservation’. BurrenLIFE was the only Irish project to make the original shortlist in the Nature & Biodiversity category, which also included projects from Bulgaria, Spain, Belgium and Slovenia.
The seeds of the BurrenLIFE project were sown in the late 1990s arising from collaboration between local farmers and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The project itself piloted innovative solutions to challenges faced by Burren farmers and created a blueprint for sustainable farming in the region.
This blueprint is currently being implemented through the Burren Programme, a results-based approach to conservation that is funded under the Rural Development Programme. The €3m annual budget is yielding a significant economic benefit to the region, while improving the environmental condition of c. 30,000ha of Europe’s finest habitats.