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Environment
The Great Western Lakes: Ecology, Heritage and Management
A three-day conference will be held on the Castlebar Campus of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology on 25-27 June this year. The conference is jointly organised by GMIT and the Centre for the Environment, TCD, and is also supported by the Heritage Council and Mayo County Council.
The meeting aims to identify the challenges and options for the preservation of the lakes and catchments of Loughs Conn, Cullin, Carra, Mask and Corrib. Some aspects of the ecology of these lakes and their catchment areas have exhibited significant declines in recent years, and efforts to maintain their status have not been totally successful. A growing body of information is now available on the nature of the problems, and this conference aims to present summaries of this information. Themes addressed over the first two days will include local heritage, ecology, water quality, agriculture, landscape, tourism, sustainable development and public participation. The third day will consist of workshops to discuss options and propose solutions to existing problems.
The conference will bring together a range of interests and expertise important for the long-term protection and management of the Great Western Lakes. The proposed programme will address specific themes that, together, cover a multi-sectoral approach to the maintenance of natural heritage. The Western lakes and their catchments include Special Areas of Conservation, designated under the Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas designated under the Birds Directive, sites of archaeological importance, including ring-forts and submerged structures, and important fisheries. They are of immense cultural and recreational importance. The area attracts considerable tourism, related in many respects to the scenic and angling value. There are also significant threats to the natural and cultural heritage of the lakes. Increased nutrient inputs of the last few decades, catchment drainage schemes, field clearances, housing developments and species introductions have all provided pressures on the lakes and their surrounding habitats.
The conference will provide keynote addresses that provide an overview of the heritage importance of the lakes and catchments and the possibilities that lie ahead for further detrimental or beneficial change. Individual sessions on selected topics will present current thinking on pressures, impacts and solutions for heritage protection. Opinions are likely to differ and the mechanisms for public participation in addressing actual and potential loss of heritage will be the subject of one of the special themes.
The workshop sessions that conclude the Conference will offer an opportunity for a varied input into identifying the challenges that lie ahead for protection of the area’s heritage, and the solutions to them. Overall, the conference will be an educational event for increased understanding of the rich heritage of the lakes and contribute to resolution of the many potential conflicts that, inevitably, surround issues of land and water management.
The conference is open to all interested persons and agencies. There is a nominal attendance fee of €20 for the three days.
Further information available on the Conference Website or from:
Chris Huxley, GMIT Castlebar;
or email afkennedy@eircom.net
The Great Western Lakes Conference is jointly organised by Trinity College Dublin, Centre for the Environment and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Castlebar Campus and supported by the Heritage Council and Mayo County Council.
© Copyright 2006 by the author(s)/photographer(s) and www.castlebar.ie
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