Echtge - Slieve Aughty Landscape Partnership

Recognising the opportunties of collaborative and cooperative structures and methodologies in strengthening relationships through creating a local Landscape Partnership - Echtge - the Slieve Aughty Landscape Partnership, named after the local mythological goddess of the mountain region, was formed in May 2025. Similar to partnerships operating throughout Ireland, EU, and elsewhere, the aim is to bring together groups and individuals in the region who are working in the areas of climate action, nature restoration, implementation of the UN SDGs, building community engagement and resilience and to support individual efforts through wider collectiive and community action.

With the assistance of CELT, the landscape partnership recieved funding and were grateful to the Community Foundation Ireland for funding and supporting the work. Several groups and individuals throughout the region have been working independently and collaboratively for a number of years providing environmental and eco-friendly services and have now begun to meet as a Local Landscape Partnership with a view to explore bioregional and collaborative efforts on nature restoration, reforestation, and supporting local regenerative cultures, including arts, culture, education, ecotourism, food production, landscape and water management and restoration, rights of nature and commuity wellbeing.

The aims are to establish the Slieve Aughty Landscape Partnership to include several local groups with a common aim to protect and enhance all aspects of our natural, built and cultural heritage and to support nature restoration and community climate action and resilience in the region by strengthening existing bonds through sharing of information and ideas and research opportunties for collaboration and development.

The partnership aimed to engage with the local community by hosting inspiring awareness-raising events and activities involving a number of the project partners and thus to encourage engagement with the partnership and the local natural environment, promote connection and appreciation of the unique landscape and to attract the interest of potential new partners, and gain support and engagement from other groups nationwide to share information with a view to encouraging the development of other such partnerships in other regions.

Landscape partnerships are recognised for their support in brining communities together in integrated landscape management processes and practices and offering a platform for the multiple stakeholders to co create processes that build trust, develop a vision for transformation, and collectively work towards the protection and restoration of ecosystems.

Eachtgha - the Sliabh Aughty Landscape Partnership have been meeting with aims to research and learn from other areas and methodologies such as Bioregioning - and work alongside other partnerships, including the recently developed Bioregioning platform in South East Ireland and to create a strategic vision that will set the agenda for the further development of the Landscape Partnership locally.

Bioregioning SE Ireland is working to join fragmented local initiatives into collective action for long term change that leads to healthy ecosystems and thriving communities in a place-based way. They provide a bioregional framework and supported peer network for planning, community engagement and cross-county cooperation, with the aims of integrated mechanisms to translate NRL/NBAP targets (e.g. pollinator, peatland, forestry, river and farmland biodiversity) into connected and coordinated local action.

The partnership meets seasonally in keeping with the festivals and celebrations of the Wheel of the Year and the next meeting of Eachtgha - the SALP will take place on Dec 15th at Abhainn na Ollfhia - for a Solstice Celebration. Everyone welcome

To book your place or to learn more about the partnership please contact info@celtnet.org

Existing members of the Eachtgha - Sliabh Aughty landscape partnership include-

CELT - Environmental Education & Training, nature protection and restoration

Lough Grainey Nature Sanctuary – Nature education and forest restoration project

The Woodland League and The Great Forest of Aughty project – native tree planting reconnecting ancient woodlands.

Abhainn Dá Loilíoch Woodland project – Citizen Science biodiversity river-woodland restoration project

Tuamgraney Community Woodland Wildlife Park – award-winning nature park

Irish Seed Savers Association – orchards, gardens, woodlands heritage organisation

Flagmount Wild Garden – eco-tourism woodland garden / wellbeing workshops

Crann Og eco-farm – eco-tourism, forest school and wellbeing centre

Abhainn an Ollfhia - Sustainable Off Grid Living, education and nature protection campaigns 

Slieve Aughty Centre – Eco-tourism and organic food venue 

Diagram from Commonland

from - Bioregion.ie