Helping the Hills Network
On 15th January 2021 Mountaineering Ireland hosted an online Helping the Hills Network meeting for people on the island of Ireland with an involvement in addressing upland path erosion and related recreation management issues.
The main input at the January meeting was from the Croagh Patrick Sustainable Access and Habitat Restoration Project. Martin Keating, Chairman of the Croagh Patrick Stakeholders Group outlined the steps in getting to the point where path work and habitat restoration are underway. Matt McConway the Croagh Patrick Path Manager presented some of the work which he and the team carried out in their first five weeks working on the mountain.
In three breakout groups, participants considered the role of an upland path network in Ireland, and how to build skills within the sector. Arising from this initial network meeting, a steering group is being formed to plan further events and to develop the network, based on the proposed purpose below:
The proposed purpose of the Helping the Hills Network is to:
- To advocate a considered, quality approach to addressing upland path erosion, to raise the profile of upland path management and highlight the need for investment in this area, including in ongoing maintenance.
- To facilitate connection and information-sharing between interested organisations.
- To help develop capacity to deliver quality upland pathwork on the island of Ireland.
- To build on the Helping the Hills Guiding Principles and support the development of a shared understanding of good practice in upland path management.
A short report of the event is available here and you can watch the presentations and feedback from the Network meeting through the YouTube links below.