Building a resilient future together in An Fál Carrach and Gort an Choirce

Climate change is already being felt across Donegal.

Flooding, storms, coastal erosion, changing ecosystems and pressure on infrastructure are increasingly affecting daily life, livelihoods and the natural environment. In rural and coastal communities such as An Fál Carrach and Gort an Choirce, these challenges are deeply connected to place, culture and community resilience.

While reducing emissions remains critical, many climate impacts are already unavoidable. Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) focuses on how communities, infrastructure, economies and landscapes can prepare for and respond to climate-related shocks and stresses. However, adaptation is often more complex than mitigation. The impacts of climate change are highly localised, meaning the actions needed in one place may be very different in another.

This creates a significant gap in climate action, particularly for rural and coastal communities already experiencing increasing disruption from storms, flooding and environmental change. Decarbonising Zones (DZs) provide an opportunity to address this challenge by acting as local test beds for climate resilience, helping communities explore what practical, place-based adaptation could look like on the ground.

Pathway to Resilience 2050 was developed to help respond to this need through a locally grounded and community-led approach to climate resilience and adaptation.

Developed by ACT in partnership with Donegal County Council and Cill Ulta Northwest Bioeconomy Hub as part of the European Pathways2Resilience programme, the project set out a shared long-term vision for the An Fál Carrach / Gort an Choirce Decarbonising Zone.

Illustrations by Ruth Graham.

A local testbed for climate action

In response to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan, local authorities across the country were asked to identify Decarbonising Zones, areas that act as local test beds for climate action, resilience and biodiversity measures.

The An Fál Carrach / Gort an Choirce Decarbonising Zone covers approximately 50 km² along the northwest Donegal coast within the Cloch Cheann Fhaola Gaeltacht.

The area is defined by its strong cultural identity, rural landscape, peatlands, coastline and deep connection to community and heritage. But it also faces increasing risks from flooding, coastal erosion, storms and infrastructure vulnerability.

Rather than applying generic climate responses, the project explored what resilience means in this specific place, for this specific community.

Community-led resilience

At the heart of the project was a participatory and community-led process focused on listening, collaboration and co-design.

Rather than developing a strategy from the top down, Pathway to Resilience 2050 was shaped through direct engagement with the people who live and work in the region every day. Local knowledge, lived experience and community priorities were central to the development of the vision, objectives and actions within the strategy.

A series of workshops, drop-in events, site visits and stakeholder engagement sessions brought together residents, schools, community groups, environmental organisations, researchers, businesses and public bodies from across the region.

The engagement process included:

A Bioeconomy Workshop at Óstán Loch Altan exploring opportunities around circular bioeconomy, regenerative agriculture and the role of biochar in building rural resilience

A Town Teams drop-in event in An Fál Carrach that created space for open discussion around local concerns, climate impacts and future opportunities

A Visioning Workshop focused on imagining what a resilient future for the region could look like by 2050, and identifying the pathways needed to get there

The workshops used visual mapping, facilitated discussions, collaborative exercises and site visits to Cill Ulta Northwest Bioeconomy Hub to help make complex climate issues accessible and grounded in place.

Participants reflected on the climate changes already being experienced locally, including flooding, storms, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss and pressure on infrastructure and services. They also explored wider questions around food security, self-sufficiency, community wellbeing, cultural identity and how to create stronger local systems that can adapt to future uncertainty.

Importantly, the workshops were not only about identifying risks. They were also about identifying opportunities.

Conversations highlighted the importance of strong community networks, intergenerational learning, local food systems, shared spaces, renewable energy, nature restoration and local skills development as foundations for resilience.

The process recognised that resilience is not simply about physical infrastructure or emergency response. It is about building stronger relationships between people, place and environment, creating communities that are more connected, adaptable and capable of shaping their own future together.

More than 100 responses informed the climate risk analysis, shared vision and action development process, ensuring the final strategy reflected real local needs, concerns and ambitions.

Building pathways to resilience

The resulting strategy set out a shared vision for 2050:

“By 2050, An Fál Carrach / Gort an Choirce will be a thriving and self-sufficient region, proud of its heritage and confident in its future.”

The project identified practical pathways to help strengthen long-term resilience across the region, including:

Protecting and restoring natural systems

Supporting sustainable food systems and local bioeconomies

Improving homes, infrastructure and energy resilience

Strengthening water and coastal resilience

Supporting community wellbeing and a Just Transition

Creating opportunities for local learning, innovation and collaboration

Building Rural Biobased Resilience

A key part of this work was the Building Rural Biobased Resilience (BRBR) initiative led by Cill Ulta Northwest Bioeconomy Hub, exploring how circular bioeconomy approaches could strengthen long-term climate resilience within the region. The initiative focused on the potential of locally produced biochar, created from green waste and organic material, to support soil regeneration, water retention, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and food security.

Rather than treating waste as a by-product, the project explored how local biological resources could be reused within a closed-loop system supporting both environmental and economic resilience. By linking regenerative agriculture, local food systems and climate adaptation, the initiative demonstrated how rural communities can build greater self-sufficiency while reducing environmental pressures.

Designing with place, culture and community

The project was shaped by ACT’s belief that climate action must be rooted in people and place.

Working within the Gaeltacht context, the strategy recognised cultural identity, language, local knowledge and heritage as essential parts of resilience, not separate from it.

By using visual communication, mapping, workshops and systems thinking, the project translated complex climate challenges into accessible and locally relevant conversations about the future.

Rather than creating a static plan, the aim was to establish a living framework that can continue to evolve with the community over time.

 “This project demonstrates the importance of locally led climate resilience planning that is rooted in community participation, environmental stewardship and long-term regional sustainability.” - Lorraine Arbuckle, Climate Action Coordinator, Donegal County Council

A model for rural climate resilience

Pathway to Resilience 2050 demonstrates how locally led climate adaptation can support stronger, more connected and more resilient communities.

While grounded in northwest Donegal, the lessons from the project have wider relevance for Decarbonising Zones and climate adaptation planning across Ireland.

It shows that resilience is not only about responding to climate risks. It is also about creating places where communities, nature and local economies can thrive together into the future.

“ACT brought a highly collaborative, thoughtful and community-focused approach to the Pathway to Resilience 2050 project. Their ability to translate complex climate adaptation challenges into a locally grounded and accessible resilience strategy was instrumental in helping shape a shared vision for the An Fál Carrach / Gort an Choirce Decarbonising Zone." - Lorraine Arbuckle, Climate Action Coordinator, Donegal County Council