Ireland boasts over 5,000km of coastline, from the wonderful beaches in Donegal in the Northwest to the  beautiful beaches in Wexford in the sunny southeast, Ireland's beaches truely have something for every one; excellent water quality, world class surf, bustling promenades, secluded bays and biodiversity rich shores. With this in mind the Clean Coast Programme through Coastcare aims to protect and enhance this fabulous resource.

 

 

The Clean Coasts programme through the Coastcare element of the programme aims;

  1. To facilitate community guardianship of adopted stretches of coastline.
  2. To establish and support Coastcare groups who form a network engaged in coastal management, environmental actions, and education activities.
  3. To enhance the value of the coastline by reducing the impact of litter and other environmental damage thus restoring the aesthetic appeal and increasing the amenity and economic value to local communities and tourists.

These Coastcare aims are delivered through all different types of activities, such as;

  • Beach clean-ups
  • Marram grass planting and other dune management practices
  • The establishment, support and promotion of voluntary community action groups.
  • The provision of education opportunities to groups
  • Improving access routes to and around coastal locations
  • Promotion and protection of sites of importance to Biodiversity such as SPAs/SACs/NHAs.

 

 

All members of the community are encouraged to participate in the Clean Coasts Programme through the formation of a group to become guardians of their local stretch of coastline. Each Coastcare group formulates their own aims, objectives and activities to clean up and protect their adopted stretch of coastline with the support of An Taisce’s Coastal Programmes Officers. Types of Coastcare groups include; Schools, Residents Association, Sports Clubs, University, Youth, Tourist attractions, Businesses, Individuals etc. Learn more about activities undertaken by Coastcare Groups here.

Where are current groups situated?

This map shows the location of all Coastcare Groups around Ireland.  These groups all vary in size and type, some being large groups, others consisting of a small number of dedicated volunteers.  For the most part, these groups are established within the programme (a small number are pending) and are always looking for new volunteers to help out on their regular coastal clean-ups.  The Key will let you see the group type that exists in your local area. 

Key

Blue = Schools/Colleges/Universities

Pink = Adopted Beach/Coastal area,

Green = Community Council/ Development Association,

Purple = Business,Red= Clubs,

Light Blue = Tidy Town Group,

Anchor symbol = Specifically a Coastcare Group,

Yellow = Pending Coastcare Group


View Clean Coasts in a larger map