Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve now active. Reeks European Innovation project tackling the spread of rhododendron.
Kerry is home to one of only two UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserves in Ireland. The Kerry Biosphere Reserve is located in the heart of the Kingdom.
It was originally named the Killarney National Park Biosphere Reserve in 1982. The reserve underwent a review process in 2017 which resulted in an increase in the areas covered and an accompanying name change. The Kerry Biosphere Reserve as it is now called covers an area of approx. 65,760 hectares.
Biosphere Reserves are ‘learning places for sustainable development. They are sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity. They are places that provide local solutions to global challenges.
The Kerry Biosphere Reserve area includes areas that are subject to several existing environmental designations including Special Protection Areas (SPA’s), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s), and proposed Natural Heritage Areas (pNHA’s). Ireland’s SAC’s and SPA’s form part of the EU Natura 2000 network of important ecological sites.
It is notable that the biosphere designation does not impose further land-use constraints on these areas, rather it supports the conservation status, celebrates the area's culture and, on a global scale, shows the significance of the natural resources we have here on our doorsteps in Kerry.
One project that is taking action within the Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Area is the MacGillycuddy Reeks European Innovation Project (Reeks EIP).
The Reeks EIP project aims to improve sustainability, economic viability of farming through practical actions & innovative solutions to address issues and to protect biodiversity in this Natura 2000 area.
Landowners in the MacGillycuddy Reeks face increasingly difficult challenges in farming this unique upland landscape. Encompassing over eight thousand hectares of Natura designated, privately owned land, rising to a height of 1039 metres farming in the MacGillycuddy Reeks is labour-intensive and economically unviable. With over 125,000 people visiting the Reeks annually to climb Ireland’s highest mountain, recreational use adds to the challenges.
Aiming to address these issues the Reeks EIP team are working with 33 farmers in the area. They have developed a results-based payment system that rewards farmers for maintaining or improving their upland habitats.
An issue that is cause for great concern within both the Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve area and the project area for the Reeks EIP is the threat of invasive species, in particular Rhododendron ponticum. One of the innovations of the Reeks EIP project is their solution to this spreading problem. They have formed and trained a group of local farmers, who now work together treating Rhododendron. Outreach events have been organised to raise awareness within local communities and to encourage people to manage the impacts of rhododendron within the EIP area.
If you’d like to learn more about how to treat rhododendron watch back on our recent community talk on our YouTube channel, Kerry Biosphere.
Kerry UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with support from Creative Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency are currently running an autumn event series launched on November 5th by Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett TD. You can find out more about this on the Facebook page @kerrybiosphere
News Article from Irish Mountain Log - Winter 2020 Edition
