This article is from page 35 of the 2008-05-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
AS THE school year comes to a close, 300 young Burren experts are preparing to graduate from primary schools all over north Clare and south Galway.
Kinvara-based not-for-profit organ- isation Burrenbeo has been operating its Eco-Beo education programme in 10 national schools for the past six years.
The programme is designed to help the young people of the Burren dis- cover their own unique heritage.
Eco-Beo is made possible because of money raised through the Burren Business Network (BBN) and groups like Burren Connect. The BBN aims
to bring eco-tourism to life on a lo- cal scale by getting local businesses involved in promoting the unique ecology of the Burren and attracting tourism as a result.
“This summer we will have a few hundred new Burren experts graduat- ing from schools in Kinvara, Doorus, New Quay, Boston, Tubber, Corofin, Kilnaboy, Kilshanny and Kilfenora,” said Ann O’Connor of Burrenbeo.
“Next year, other schools will get the benefit of the 20-week course which is made possible by the peo- ple involved in the Burren Business Network. This is the essence of sus- tainable tourism whereby tourists, through the businesses they use, are helping to sustain local communities
and their heritage.”
Burrenbeo first began in 2002 as a high-quality website guide to the Burren and its ecology. The site, which is located at www.burrenbeo. com, now gets a quarter of a million visitors each year who generate al- most four million hits.
Over the years, it has developed into the leading agency for promoting the Burren as an eco-tourist location.
“We want to promote education and awareness and, more than any- thing else, to show the really positive contribution that local farmers give to the area,” continued Ann.
“We are working hard to improve visitor management in the Burren and offer visitors a better tourist ex-
perience. The key to this is giving them top-quality and easily acces- sible information about the area and what they are seeing.
“The overall goal is to promote the Burren as a haven for eco-tourism, a place for ecologically and socially responsible, nature-based tourism that fosters appreciation and under- standing and most importantly con- tribute to the local community and economy.’
Beside the development of the Bur- renbeo website, Burrenbeo has also created an award winning CD-Rom on the Burren and opened a free re- source centre in Cafebeo in Kinvara. For more on Burrenbeo, check out www.burrenbeo.com