Over the past month volunteers have been getting stuck in with marine cleans at the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Local volunteers have been gathering rubbish from the Causeway’s stunning bays and outcrops. Four marine cleans, co-ordinated by Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust (CCGHT), celebrate the 35th anniversary of the site’s inscription onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Rope, plastic containers, beer bottles, gas canisters and other household and shipping waste have been removed. Sea2It, a local environmental group focused on tackling marine waste, are running the events taking volunteers by boat to the otherwise inaccessible bays.
Nikki Maguire, CCGHT Project Manager, said: ‘It is fantastic to see local volunteers tackling the serious issue of marine litter along our coastlines. We have some of the most stunning and internationally significant coasts on the island of Ireland, such as the World Heritage Site, but our wildlife can be harmed by pollution. This rubbish shouldn’t be here, everyone needs to take action and play our part in protecting our natural assets.’
Graham Thompson, CCGHT Chief Executive, added: ‘We are delighted to celebrate 35 years of World Heritage Site status for the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast. It has been a privilege to put these events together with partners and volunteers and use this milestone celebration to raise awareness of this issue.
CCGHT would like to acknowledge that these events were possible through funding from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council LiveSmart Grant and DAERA’s Northern Ireland Environment Agency.’
For more information on upcoming CCGHT events and on the World Heritage Site follow the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust or Causeway Coast AONB Facebook pages.
