Good practice:

Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and Activity Park

There was a need to provide a new tourism offering for Tralee, to reclaim an old landfill site and restore this damaged habitat to a more natural state. The aim was to improve Blue Green Infrastructure of Tralee and to enhance the biodiversity of the wider Natura 2000 site (Tralee Bay).

The majority of the experience at the centre is the guided boat tour of the wetland area. The remainder of the visitor’s time is divided between the viewing tower which looks out over the Tralee Bay Special Area of Conservation, and the exhibition centre, which interprets the biodiversity and natural heritage of the bay area. There is a 1.5-hectare artificial lake for light water sports activity, along with 2.2km of walking and cycling routes.

Over half of the grounds at the wetland centre (around 5 hectares) have been left undisturbed to encourage the natural development of the wetland. In addition to this area, large sections of the grounds around the lake in the park area have been left in their original condition (patches of rushy marsh and wetland).

A large part of the facility is an open park area around the lake, which is open 24 hours for use by the local community

The project is unique in Ireland and is leading the way in the vastly expanding eco-tourism market in Kerry

The project, costing €4.5m to develop, was jointly funded by Tralee Town Council and Fáilte Ireland. The centre employs three full-time and 10 part-time staff, including an an ecologist, in addition to five people in the lakeside cafe.

The reclamation and restoration of the site from a landfill to a nature site and eco-tourism location is a major success.

Education Programmes, Biodiversity Programmes and Waste and Wildlife Programmes are available for all ages. It provides a focal point for local wildlife enthusiasts and is the regional co-ordinator for Coastwatch Ireland.

A number of biodiversity projects are ongoing. For example. Iris, Bulrush, Mint and Brooklime are being plants in a large pond to remove nutrients.

The timescale to plan, design and implment was quite lengthy as it look ten years.

This project shows how a damaged habitat can be transformed to be an important part of a settlements Blue Green Infrastructure. The project shows how this multifunctional site has created win win benefits for biodiversity, society and the economy.

The centre continues with this ethos through its education programmes, biodiversity projects and visitor experience evolution. Maintaining the pillars of the economic, society and environment has made this project an accepted part of the local community.

This is the most transferable element of the good practice. The factors of environment progress are assembled around economic and societal benefits and this project provides a practical example of how win win outcomes can be achieved.