Castle Archdale Country Park was the venue on Friday for the launch of a very special exhibition which reveals that, a unique feature, 'limestone pavement', only occurs in west Fermanagh.
Limestone pavements were exposed by the passage of ice sheets during the last Ice Age. This landscape and its features have taken thousands of years to develop, thus producing a unique habitat which supports a diverse range of plant and animal species.
'Our Limestone Landscape', launched by the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), aims to raise a greater awareness and appreciation of the stunning landscape around us in Fermanagh.
On hand to launch the exhibition was local television personality, Frank Mitchell.
The exhibition is now on display and will remain open to the public at Castle Archdale Country Park until 31st August 2008.
Melina McMullan, from the EHS, explained: "The purpose of the exhibition is to display, 'Our Limestone Landscape' as an important local and national resource, and to create a greater awareness and appreciation of this stunning landscape and its biodiversity.'
The exhibition is a cross-border initiative which has been produced in partnership with EHS, the Irish Wildlife Trust and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It has previously been displayed at the ENFO Centre, Dublin and the Burren Information Centre.
The whole of Ireland holds the most significant proportion of 'limestone pavement' within the European Union. In Northern Ireland, 'limestone pavement' only occurs in west Fermanagh.
Limestone pavements were exposed by the passage of ice sheets during the last Ice Age. This landscape and its features have taken thousands of years to develop, thus producing a unique habitat which supports a diverse range of plant and animal species.
To see for yourself this unique habitat, rich in biodiversity, visit Killykeeghan and Crossmurrin Nature Reserve next to Marble Arch Caves.
Here, the thin soils covering the limestone support a rich variety of grasses and herbs, like wild thyme and blue harebell. These provide food for insects, such as the common blue butterfly, and the cuckoo is frequently heard here in May.
