Excellence in Local Government Awards 2018

ERP is delighted to announce the winner for the ERP Sustainable Environment Award 2018 was Clare County Council for their The Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark initiative.

Pictured on the night (left to right) Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland, Leonard Cleary, Director of Rural Development, Clare County Council, Martin Tobin, CEO, European Recycling Platform, Michael Begley, Mayor of Clare, Clare County Council, Minister John Paul Phelan TD, Minister of State for Local Government and Electoral Reform.

The Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark programme grew out of a multi-stakeholder project established by Clare County Council in 2007 to seek a collaborative balance between conservation and tourism interests in the Burren Region. Through the multi-stakeholder Geopark programme the Council has made significant contributions to the sustainable environment of the Burren area with a series of initiatives in sustainable tourism, community education and heritage site management.

The Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark has sustainability as a core element of all it does. It maximises its influence by working with all agencies and community bodies and by supporting a sustainable environment through its core ‘Code of Practice for Sustainable Businesses’. The Geopark programme has made its biggest impact in the area of sustainable tourism. The programme was awarded the National Geographic destination Leadership award in 2016 for its multi-stakeholder approach to sustainable tourism development.