Connemara carves unique partnership with Guatemala

By Fiona Lawlor

Bespoke street furniture pieces in Clifden have carved one of the first international partnerships, focusing on supporting communities conserving tropical rain forests in South America.

The pieces, crafted by local students, are bringing a fresh wave of creativity and sustainability to the heart of Connemara.

Galway County Council, in partnership with Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Letterfrack and the Cities4Forests Partner Forest Programme, has become the first local authority to join the project. The partnership is hoping to help remove millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere while promoting more sustainable timber procurement in Ireland.

Scott Francisco, Director of Cities4Forests, said the programme helps to build a “mutually beneficial relationship” between the local authorities and forest-dependent communities abroad, supporting biodiversity, climate action and sustainability.

The initiative was built following a visit by the students from ATU’s Connemara’s School of Design and Creative Arts to Guatemala, where they examined the moderate forestry and community led conservation across 320,000 acres of rainforest.

Head of ATU Connemara Campus Paul Leamy explained: “The students have produced exceptional pieces, and we now invite the public to view these installations and learn more about safeguarding tropical forests and the conservation benefits of using sustainably sourced wood.”

The hand-made furniture is produced using conservation-grade tropical timber, sourced sustainably from community managed forestry in Uaxactún and Carmelita.

Liam Conneally, Galway County Council’s Chief Executive said: “We were honoured to be the only Irish partner in this programme… by using conservation timber sourced through partner forests, the initiative shows how thoughtful design can reduce environmental impact while improving public spaces.” For more information on this project, visit www.cities4forests.com