Project Finished

This project finished in March 2023. For further queries please e-mail pdeane@skdp.net

EIPLandowners on the MacGillycuddy Reeks face increasingly difficult challenges in farming. Farming in this unique upland landscape, encompassing over eight thousand hectares of Natura designated, privately owned HNV farmland, to a height of 1039 metres is subject to economically unviable labour-intensive practices, coupled with rising pressures bought about by the largely uncontrolled and unmonitored recreational use by over 125,000 people visiting the Reeks annually to climb Ireland’s highest mountain.

The project aims to improve sustainability, the economic viability of farming through practical, achievable actions & innovative solutions to address issues & to protect biodiversity in this Natura 2000 area:

  • Empowering landowners to continue upland farming through development of sustainable agricultural management practices,
  • Develop, with landowners, innovative management interventions for the preservation, restoration and enhancement of upland habitats;
  • Create positive outreach programme and to prevent further habitat damage due to increasing recreational pressures through the formation of a landowner ranger system,
  • Improve the conservation status of Annex I habitats

MacGillyduddy Reeks EIP Publications

Publications, Resources and Information Material, freely available to download

Aims & Objectives

The Reeks EIP Project aims to improve the sustainability and support the economic viability of farming in the MacGillycuddy Reeks, through the development of practical, achievable actions and innovative solutions in order to improve the conditions of the habitats of the Natura 2000 area, in close conjunction with the landowners/farmers in the area. The primary objectives of The MacGillycuddy Reeks EIP Project are:

Objective 1

To enable and support landowners to continue upland hill farming through the development of sustainable agricultural management practices on HNV farmland in the MacGillycuddy Reeks and to support the long-term economic viability of hill farming in the Reeks.

Objective 2

To create a positive outreach programme, raise awareness of the SAC designation and protected habitats and species in the Reeks. To help prevent further habitat damage due to increasing recreational pressures on the Reeks through the formation of a landowner ranger system and trail maintenance works.

Objective 3

To develop, in collaboration with landowners innovative-management interventions for the preservation, restoration and enhancement of upland habitats in a farmed, HNV landscape.

Objective 4

To improve the conservation status of Annex Ι heath and bog habitats, in the MacGillycuddy Reeks.

Training/Webinar Videos

The MacGillycuddy Reeks EIP Team wish to thank the following people for giving so freely of their time to deliver these webinars, it is much appreciated:
Enda Mullins, from NPWS, Eileen McCloskey from CAFRE and Breda Moriarty from LAWPRO.

South Kerry Development Partnership
Department of Rural and Community Development
Kerry CoCo
Fáilte Ireland
Leave no Trace