Background
ASCENT, an innovative project to collectively address the environmental challenges facing seven northern European upland areas, was a three year project and involved Donegal County Council as lead partner, working collaboratively with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the Mourne Heritage Trust in Northern Ireland, Metsähallitus Park and Wildlife in Finland, Hordaland County Council in Norway, and the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland along with associated partners including Údarás na Gaeltachta, Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, Mossfellsbær Municipality and Skaftárhreppur.
Unregulated access to upland sites and natural erosion meant that some areas of natural beauty had experienced degradation, loss of unique bio-diversity and bio-resources. In response, the ASCENT project, an acronym for ‘Apply Skills and Conserve our Environment with New Tools’ set out to develop management plans and implement innovative measures that address future economic and environmental sustainability
The total budget for this project in Newry, Mourne and Down was €311,000.
Getting woolly in Norway
October 1, 2018ASCENT Project Partners came together in Odda, Norway in September 2018 in order to share knowledge and discuss common challenges for upland management faced across all countries within the Northern Periphery and Arctic Circle.
Norwegian hosts from Hordaland County Council were particularly keen to learn about Irish ‘Sheep’s Wool’ paths, which were traditionally used to ‘float’ pathways over bogs and deep peat. This trip formed part of a wider aspiration to share knowledge and engage more closely with land management bodies on an international level.
This will help develop strategic solutions for conservation of upland areas in the face of widespread challenges such as habitat decline, increased tourism and climate change. The ASCENT project includes project partners from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Finland.
Closer to home, Horticulture Students from Clanrye Group have taken on a new challenge assisting the ASCENT Slieve Gullion Upland Path Team repair sections of erosion along the Slieve Gullion Summit Path using hand tools and traditional techniques. This work is being carried out as part of an Interreg IV funded project known as ASCENT, which aims to explore sustainable solutions to protecting upland areas.
It is hoped in 2019 that we will be creating a regular Thursday path days for volunteers with a training course in February to incentivise participants. Watch this space!
Visitors from the North to Gullion and Mourne
Newry, Mourne and Down set to host international ASCENT Partners
Welcome to the Spring edition of ASCENT’s digital newsletter!
Passing on our learning
South to North summit trail moves a step closer
Beginning our ASCENT
