The Burren, Co. Clare is an internationally valuable habitat. A number of threats are perceived to be affecting the extent, distribution and quality of ecological habitats in the Burren (Dunford and Feehan, 2001). While there is considerable anecdotal evidence, discussions about i) changes in the habitats of priority conservation value and ii) the relationship between the vegetation of the Burren and agricultural management appear to be based on few objective data (see O’Donovan 1987; Dunford 2001). The aim of this project is the provision of an integrated and comprehensive database (stored in digital form in a Geographical Information System) to facilitate agri-environmental evaluation and research in the Burren. As such, the proposed project would make considerable progress towards realising the recommendations of Bohnsack and Carrucan (1999) and would establish a database and a framework for future monitoring.
