Environment

The Cliffs are home to a number of endangered and rare species of birds. There are more than 20 species of nesting birds including 9 species of breeding seabirds. Up to 30,000 breeding pairs of seabirds are found annually at the Cliffs.

The grasslands are a fragile habitat that the fauna like the feral goat relies on. The cliff edge is also a naturally eroding area and sections are seriously undercut. Pieces of stone ledge or grassland fall into the sea regularly. For your own sake and the sake of the environment please do not climb over the walls onto the cliff edge.

Please do not leave litter anywhere and especially not on the cliff side. Litter bins have been provided in the car park and near the visitor centre area. Please make use of these bins and Leave no Trace of your visit.

Environmental Policy Statement

Energy Management

The majority of our air conditioning and heating requirements come from a renewable energy source in the form of ground source heat pumps.

All electricity used onsite is renewable. Our external supplier is Airtricity. Solar energy is used to supplement our electricity requirements using the centre’s solar panels during the summer season.

We use energy efficient LED bulbs and have motion sensors to switch off lighting in back of house areas when they are unused

Gas & Electricity usage are monitored and have been reducing year on year since 2008

Waste Management

Segregated bins are in place for both visitor and operational use

We endeavour to minimise waste by evaluating operations and ensuring they are as efficient as possible.

Organic waste is composted and, where possible, waste is sent for recycling.

Regular litter patrol conducted by staff as part of daily duties. All staff encouraged to pick up any litter they see.

Conservation

The Cliffs of Moher are a Special Protected Area (SPA) under Irish & EU legislation.
This includes the area outside the walls as well as the cliff face. As part of an ecological reconstruction of the SPA closest to the visitor centre the damaged cliff top habitats were reseeded during the construction stage with local cliff top grass seed which had been harvested by hand during the two autumns prior to the construction phase. Visitor flow is managed to discourage visitors from entering the protected areas. We are committed to environmental conservation and education.

We are a member of Leave No Trace Ireland and promote the objectives of this movement to our visitors.

We support environmentally sustainable tourism, waiving the facilities charge for visitors arriving on foot or by bicycle.

Supporting our Local Community & Economy

Where possible, the food for the restaurant and café are sourced locally.

As one of the most popular visitor attractions in the west of Ireland, we are committed to promoting other attractions and local businesses in the area.

We are involved in fundraising for local charities and are a major employer of local people in the community directly employing 24 staff on a year round basis and further seasonal staff. The centre (including tenant operations) provides direct employment for close of 100 staff at peak season. More 88% of all staff live within 15km of the visitor centre.

We are an active member of the Burren Eco-Tourism working group of 20 tourism business committed to sustainable tourism in the area.

Our enthusiastic and committed “Green Team” is made up of staff from all workgroups and businesses operating at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience and meets regularly to discuss initiatives and resultes. If you have any suggestions how we can continue our efforts to “Go Greener at the Cliffs of Moher” please do not hesitate to contact us with your feedback.