Burren Community Charter

The Burren Community Charter started life with a proposal to the Heritage Council in support of a community led approach in building a charter for the Burren. Recognising the value of the proposal, the Heritage Council came on board and is now working with a number of Burren based organisationsin to help develop the idea further. 

The idea of a community charter represents a radical departure in participatory democracy for Ireland and is a very new approach to landscape management for this country.  With world cafes, ‘Petcha kucha’ sessions and town hall meetings being employed as part of this new landscape movement , local communities are encouraged and empowered to become architects of their landscape and destiny.  

Over the coming months The Burren Community Charter Group will host various shows and hold family events across the region. The idea behind the community charter is to bring as many people as possible together who live and/or work on the Burren and find out what  their vision for the future of the region is and how they see themselves involved in developing that vision.

In recent years there has been a lot of research and discussion about the Burren’s landscape, heritage and communities. Many issues have been raised through this work  and some issued are supported through the establishment of the following Burren based organisations: 

Burrenbeo Trust 
Burren Farming for Conservation Project (formerly known as the BurrenLife project),
Burren Connect Project 
Burren IFA.

Most of the organisations  work separately with their own specific objectives. One of the most striking recommendations over  the many years of Burren research and discussion is the need for a co-ordinated approach to the management of this region. What this implies is that the different groups and agencies who all do good work  in the Burren should  have a ‘channel’ or umbrella structure that allows them all to work together to a specific plan 

This is what has led the four organisations mentioned above, along with the Heritage Council, Clare County Council and Galway County Council  to explore the possibility of developing a community charter for the Burren.

So what is a ‘Community Charter’?
The idea behind the community charter is to bring as many people as possible together, who live and/or work on the Burren and find out what is their vision for the future of the Burren, and how they see themselves involved in developing that vision.  It is about what the people of the Burren can do for themselves as opposed to what can be done for them.
It is hoped that the charter will help all  existing organisations and communities to work together in a more integrated manner, as well as setting out future work priorities for all involved.

Who is involved?
The project management committee is made up of the following representatives:
 
Burren Farming for Conservation Programme
Dr. Brendan Dunford

The Burren Connect Project
Carol Gleeson

Burren IFA
Michael Davoren

Burrenbeo Trust Ltd.
Richard Morrison

Galway County Council
Marie Mannion

Clare County Council
 Congella McGuire