Ireland’s national parks currently stretch across an expanse of 65,000ha of land. Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, has shared that the Department of Heritage has no plans to extend them.
Expanding these areas would see private farmland included in the country’s six national parks – Killarney National Park, Connemara National Park, Glenveagh National Park, Wicklow Mountains National Park, Burren National Park and Wild Nephin National Park.
In response to a parliamentary question from Bríd Smith the minister said that, “I am ever mindful of the need to focus on the core responsibilities relating to the management of our national parks which are managed from a conservation perspective and attract in excess of four million visitors annually.”
“While my department has no specific plans to expand the park network at present, we are actively ensuring the preservation, protection and presentation of the assets we already own,” he stated.
Minister Noonan has just announced a strategic action plan for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The NPWS is set to receive an extra €55m in investment over the next three budgets, and will undergo a restructuring of sorts. It also hopes to employ 60 more staff members. These measures are all expected to increase the presence of rangers in Ireland’s parks and across the country for engagement with farmers.