Analysis Of The Burren In Ireland

The Burren in Ireland is a large area of land that is almost completely covered in limestone. The limestone was created millions of years ago when this area was underwater. The limestone we see today is essentially pressed decayed sea animals/fish and sediments. Two glaciers have gone through this area. There is debate about whether the limestone was scraped clean by the glaciers, or whether there remained a thin layer of soil that eroded over time .The land is not suitable for farming as nothing can take root and grow properly. Grass does indeed grow on the limestone, therefore the area is mainly used for grazing. This is not only a positive for farmers, but for the land as well. If animals did not graze on the long coarse grasses, native …show more content…
These stone walls are thousands of years old, however, because of animals and tourism, many of the walls have been knocked down or completely destroyed. In contrast to the dry area of the Burren, the Connemara Blanket Bogs are made up of over 90% water. Blanket bogs formed over low-lying areas with poor drainage. From these blanket bogs, peat can be extracted. Peat is used in Ireland to heat homes. Because the bogs are so wet, once dried out, the only thing left is organic matter which is easily burnable. Ireland is one of the most populous areas of blanket bogs, therefore conservation is very important. Rare plants and animals are found in the blanket bogs because of its abiotic features, like lack of oxygen, pH levels, and water capacity. While, conserving bogs may be important, the Burren is of more interest to me because of the volunteer work we …show more content…
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, there are three main definitions of the word ‘conservation’. The first is to “[protect] plants, animals, and natural resources” (“conservation”). I think we helped achieve this goal, however we might not have been protecting more so creating the ability to grow. The second definition is the careful use of natural resources to prevent them from being lost” (“conservation”). This definition doesn’t apply directly to this situation. I think the third definition is the one most applicable to the Burren. Conservation is “the things that are done to keep works of art or things of historical importance in good condition. According to this definition, in a way we did not necessarily conserve because we rebuilt. We used rocks not originally used on these walls to build them. To me, this is restoration. Merriam-Webster’s definition of restoration is “the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.” (“restoration”). I think using the word restoration is more appropriate in the sense that we repaired the wall, we didn’t conserve what was already there; we built new. Some of the rocks we used were probably not originally used in the