The project has also developed a schools conservation and education programme in partnership with Mary Immaculate Secondary School Lisdoonvarna and Fanore National School and John Murphy, biodiversity consultant. The programme is based on the monitoring and evaluation of the Burren Connect Conservation project at Fanore Dunes. (see Environment, Fanore Dunes Conservation Programme).
The main aims of this programme are:
• To heighten awareness of the importance of this ecosystem as a major habitat in Clare and to encourage the local community to care for such a unique landscape feature in their area.
• To encourage primary and secondary school students to appreciate such an important habitat by actively engaging in monitoring biodiversity activities in the Sand dune area throughout a one year period and to submit collected data to the Clare Data Base & Biological Records Centre.
• To make recommendations on the future management of the dunes based on the findings.
Fanore National School Project
The school is visited once a month by John Murphy, who delivers classroom lectures and field trips, point out the different aspects of biodiversity found in this area. These visits act as training sessions for the pupils and teachers alike. Student progress is assessed and a variety of techniques are used in the search for biodiversity; traps, net, bug pits and longworth traps.
A Nature Notebook (logbook) is being compiled for the students of Fanore National School with lists of animals, plants, birds, amphibians and insects that the children come across when on a Nature walk around the boundary of this area. This booklet will be held at the school and used when the pupils visit the site on a weekly nature walk to the sand dunes. This information will build up seasonal changes and an understanding of the natural calendar year.
Mary Immaculate Secondary School, Lisdoonvarna
One day a month is also allocated to Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna, to assist in their application and studies for Young Scientist and Young Environmental Awards for 2008.
A small number of quadrats have been set up in the sand dunes to monitor changes in vegetation throughout a one-year cycle. Information gathered by the students of the vocational school will be logged in Recorder Software, which was given to the school from the Clare Biological Records Centre for use in this project.
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For more information on Fanore wildlife please download 'Wildlife at Fanore Sand Dunes'.
