Burren ‘at risk’ from overgrowth

THE Heritage Council has called for a national landscape management plan for the Burren in Co Clare, after a report found that the region is seriously under threat from scrub overgrowth, which is destroying the habitats of rare flowers and plants.

Carried out in conjunction with the BurrenLIFE project, the report found that the natural and archaeological heritage in the Burren is far richer than previously understood.

But it is under threat from ad hoc changes such as reduced cattle grazing and farming activity which have allowed scrub to grow unchecked.