| 1999 |  |
YEAR BOOK |
| 1999 | |
YEAR BOOK |
Matthew Parkes & John Morris Protecting our geological heritage On Valentia Island, in Co. Kerry, a fossil trackway was discovered in 1993. Heritage and conservation are now high visibility areas of public concern - yet little or no attention has been paid to the physical foundation upon which all landscape, human and cultural heritage is based - the rocks beneath our feet. In Ireland, this imbalance is now beginning to be redressed through the Irish Geological Heritage Programme (IGH), which started in 1998. This is operated by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), in partnership with Dúchas, the Heritage Service, who will administer designation and management of selected sites as Natural Heritage Areas (NHA). The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, long awaited by conservation groups, is expected to go through the legislative process in 1999 and will give legal status to NHAs. It will also offer protection against specific activities which may damage the particular interest of each site. The IGH site selection process is based upon geological themes, the first two completed being (1) Karst and (2) Precambrian to Devonian Palaeontology. The final selection of the most important sites will be a consensus judgement of GSI, the theme contractors and an Expert Panel, ensuring all sites are defensible against objections. The Karst theme will protect some key areas, of the Burren for example, that fall outside existing designated areas or National Parks. One particular site from the Palaeontology theme stands out as a special case, and has been developed as a flagship geological heritage project for the GSI. On Valentia Island, in Co. Kerry, a fossil trackway was discovered in 1993. It has enormous potential for interest and education through the communication of simple geological concepts to a wide audience. In conjunction with the Valentia Heritage Society, GSI drew up a plan, adopted by Dúchas, for the site to be purchased by the State. This has been completed, with safe public access being a prime reason. Visitors will be able to get very close to see the trackway, but not walk over it and destroy it in the process. Interpretation will be available on site as signboards and a cast for touching, as well as a leaflet guide.
The site is of international importance, being well dated at older than 385 million years; probably second oldest in the world. About 200 prints represent the passage of a tetrapod, a primitive four-legged vertebrate, across the soft sediment of a large river floodplain in Devonian times. It is a key record of the important evolutionary step of vertebrates leaving aquatic environments and breathing air on land. This site has the scope to fire people’s understanding and appreciation of geology that ranks with the best the world has to offer. Contact: Geological Survey of Ireland, |
