A Survey of Burren Farm Families 2009
Foreword
By any standards, the Burren is a very special place for many people. It is a home place for generations of Burren residents, a national treasure of inestimable value for the people of Ireland, and a landscape of international importance for all who value mankind’s rich heritage. At a time when we often lament the loss of heritage and tradition from our countryside, the value of the Burren landscape as a rich repository of natural and cultural heritage is priceless.
The Burrenbeo Trust is a charity created in 2005 as an independent advocate for a more inclusive and integrated approach to the management of the Burren. One of its core objectives is to engage farming families and local communities in the decision-making processes affecting the Burren. This objective derives from our conviction that any future management plan for the Burren must be built on real and meaningful local input, enabling the people of the Burren to play a greater role in defining, participating in, and benefiting from the sustainable future development of their landscape. It also addresses one of the most common complaints from Burren farm families – that they rarely have any real say in how their region is being managed.
To realise this critical objective of engaging farm families, the Burrenbeo Trust, in conjunction with the Burren IFA and with the support of the Heritage Council, commissioned a detailed study on the perspectives of these families on the future of the Burren and their role in it. A summary of the results of this survey - which involved interviews with over 240 people from 111 different households across the Burren, followed by workshops - is presented in this document.
The findings of the survey are very positive and a cause for great optimism. Burren farmers are proud to live and work in the Burren, are appreciative of the area’s unique attributes and are anxious and enthusiastic about being involved in shaping the future of this place, their home. They are open to exploring new ideas, such as farm-based tourism and farming for conservation. They want their voices to be heard more clearly and their skills and expertise to be more fully recognised in the development and implementation of any future plans or ‘designations’ for the region.
This survey is very timely as we are now approaching a defining moment for the Burren. Decisions made consciously, or by default, will determine whether this special resource is managed holistically for the benefit of all, or whether it is allowed to be squandered. We believe that this farm family-based questionnaire is an important first step in this process. The results confirm that, with appropriate enabling institutional structures, we have a great opportunity to align local opinion with that of the main management agencies, addressing the costly failings of the past and shaping a bright new future for the Burren. The findings of the survey compel us to act now to ensure that this happens and that properly resourced representative structures and support systems are put in place as a matter of urgency.
We would like to thank all those who contributed to this very important piece of work: Dr. Kathy Walsh who co-ordinated the survey and wrote up the findings; Hugo Deasy, Brigid Barry, Catherine Seale and Declan Peelo who carried out the interviews; Michael Davoren, Martin MacMahon, Jim Nagle, Mattie Shannon, Shane Casey, Michael O’Donoghue and John Keating who helped identify farmer families that might be willing to participate in the survey. We would like to thank Burren IFA for their continued help and to express our sincere gratitude to the Heritage Council for their financial assistance in enabling us to undertake this work.
Finally, and most importantly, we would like to thank all of the farm families who participated in the survey and the workshops. The Burrenbeo Trust will strive to ensure that your voice is heard, that your concerns are addressed, and that your stated aspiration to continue your long-standing role as custodians of the Burren is realised.
Dr. Brendan Dunford,
On Behalf of the Burrenbeo Trust.
(0.04 MB, Executive summary_Burren Farm Families.pdf)
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