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all as i could see was miles and miles
of rock in front of me i had a sharp
intake of brett and i went wow this is
magnificent
and i always remember that day because i
remember thinking to myself we need to
protect this we need to keep it in this
pristine condition we need to make sure
that it goes on for more generations
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we see ourselves as custodians of the
area and tourism is hugely important to
us but people come because it's clean
and it's well preserved and that's our
unique edge charlotte o'dwyer is my name
and i'm the ceo of the berlin ecotourism
network which is a group of 65
businesses that operates here in what we
call the burn and cliffs of moher
geopark
and the burn in tips more geopark was
recognized by unesco in 2015 as an area
of geological wonder
you know sometimes you marvel at people
coming from
different countries that would have
never seen the ocean that would have
never experienced the landscape because
they're coming from cities so it's when
you meet and chat with people you
realize we have something very very
special and very unique to the rest of
the world
it's all about sustainability it's about
learning it's about having the emphasis
on environmental protection and it's all
about caring for the landscape that is
around us
ecotourism really is intended as a low
impact alternative to large-scale
tourism because we want people to
appreciate the beauty of the place but
in a more controlled fashion
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all of the members are committed to a
code of practice where they measure
waste water and energy and they ensure
that every single year they go forward
they get a bit more efficient in those
three areas
the farmers are very very conscious as
well of treating the environment with
care
because of where we are we're in a
special area of conservation we can't
spray
we can't cut anything at certain times
but we have to keep the hazel under
control so the cows are let out more
than other cows in in ireland and their
grace the limestone pavement so that the
flora and fauna and the biodiversity can
come back in springtime eco-tourism and
sustainability are the main reason we
joined
everything that we do is nature centric
full with foraging then we do while
cooking so nothing is added in if it
doesn't belong there collaborating with
the members is absolutely essential
we've entirely been working for the area
together and that has paid back really i
think because as a group of people
together with lots of different stories
they're all very proud of their
association with the network and the
code of practice it's fine to be on your
own i think you're stronger together
really in hard times it's even more
important
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