Suas members attend uplands network event
RECENTLY, members of the SUAS Pilot Project team participated in a nationwide networking event organised by the Irish Uplands Forum.
Held in Glencree, the inaugural event created an opportunity for the local operational groups behind Ireland’s upland based EIP-AGRI projects, to gather and share knowledge and experiences with each other.
Of Ireland’s 23 EIP-AGRI projects currently in operation, seven of them are based in upland settings with each of them undertaking projects that are designed to deliver solutions to the unique challenges found in their area.
The groups present on the day, each delivered an informative presentation on the progress of their project and the practices that have developed since they commenced.
First to present was the SUAS Pilot Project, which is working with farmers on nine locations across the Wicklow and Dublin uplands to address the decline in hill farming activities and the improvement of the region’s biodiversity.
Declan Byrne, Project Manager of the SUAS Pilot Project shared details of the project’s objectives and some of the developments since its launch in 2018, with ecologist Faith Wilson participating in the workshop discussions.
Project managers, ecologists and representatives from groups as far away as Kerry and Donegal, joined representatives from the National Rural Network, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mountaineering Ireland and a number of other interest groups for the full day programme.
Speaking following the event, Declan Byrne of the SUAS Project said: ‘It was a great opportunity to discuss common issues, share our experiences and learn from each other as all of the EIP Projects have a different approach and are finding solutions that are value to each of us. It was also a wonderful occasion for Co. Wicklow to host the event and see so many attend and contribute to the gathering.’
The SUAS Pilot Project was developed using a bottom-up approach with the support of local upland farmers and following what was referred to as a highly competitive selection process The project successfully received funding of €1.95 million from the Department of Agriculture.