Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Seanad for arranging statements on national parks. It means a lot that the group here cares enough to have a conversation and a discussion on our national parks and recognises their importance. Acting Chairperson, you being from a county with one of the most stunning national parks in the country, it is great that you are in the Chair.

I thank the Senators present for the opportunity to address them on this very important issue. This expanding, diverse and vibrant network is one of our nation's greatest treasures and represents the living, beating heart of Ireland's natural heritage. It is my pleasure to provide an overview of the national parks system and update the Seanad on recent developments, and I would welcome Senators' comments and feedback.

Across this country, our national parks are places where biodiversity thrives, people and communities can connect with nature and we can all continue to experience the inherent beauty of our island. Our parks span a range of geographies and biospheres, from the rugged mountains of Connemara to the oak woodlands of Killarney to the upland heaths of Wicklow and Glenveagh. Until recently, Ireland had six national parks: Killarney, Glenveagh, Connemara, Wild Nephin, the Wicklow Mountains and the Burren. In 2023 and 2024, we saw the acquisition of strategic land purchases to facilitate the creation of two new national parks. Our seventh national park, yet to open to the public, is based at the site of Dowth Hall in County Meath. This was followed by the creation of Ireland's eighth national park, which is also our first marine national park, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, in Ciarraí.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, is responsible for the management of these parks. I want to specifically mention the dedicated staff working on the ground, who deserve immense credit for the stewardship they provide day to day. Their work often goes unseen - managing visitor access, engaging in education programmes, protecting vulnerable habitats, working with neighbouring farmers and local communities, and responding to the growing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. The work that happens in our national parks is at the very forefront of building a knowledge and love of nature, in conserving habitats and protecting nature, in providing new, sustainable economic opportunities for rural communities and in meeting our national and international obligations, such as the requirements of the nature restoration law.

My predecessor, Senator Noonan, whom I am sure will join us later, played an important role in delivering the reviews into the function and role of the NPWS, and I acknowledge that. This Government remains committed to seeing the NPWS deliver on the ambitious renewal programme that arose from those reviews. The renewal programme seeks to build a modern, well-resourced and resilient agency that can protect our natural heritage and manage our network of national parks and nature reserves.

I am delighted to say that core funding for the NPWS has increased from €28.7 million in 2020 to €78 million in 2025, and for 2026 I have secured a core funding allocation for the National Parks and Wildlife Service of over €100 million for the first time. This Government's commitment to nature has resulted in real, on-the-ground improvements in our national parks system. It has enabled investment in a range of capital works projects, investment in better equipment, an increased ability to respond to the availability of strategic land opportunities, the introduction of new and innovative ways of doing things, and improved visitor facilities. These past few years have seen increased staff recruitment, with the appointment of key posts, such as national park manager, across the country, while also providing additional guide resources, increased numbers of rangers in post, and stronger regional management structures and teams.

The investments made are not abstract numbers; they have had real, tangible effects, no more so than when we look at the expansion of the network of our national parks. This certainly is not expansion for the sake of expansion. As set out in the programme for Government, this Government recognises the importance of continuing to support the ongoing expansion and resourcing of our national parks. The European Union's biodiversity strategy provides for ambitious restoration targets and the recommended expansion of protected areas. Similarly, objective 2 of the national biodiversity action plan aims to meet urgent national conservation and restoration needs via a variety of measures, which include the expansion of our national parks and nature reserves network by 2030 in order to help better manage national conservation efforts. Already, we have made very good progress in this regard.

As previously mentioned, the 2023 acquisition of lands in Dowth led to the creation of the first new national park in almost 25 years. This purchase added almost 224 ha to the national park network. In 2024, Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara followed suit, becoming Ireland's first marine national park thanks to the acquisition of the Conor Pass and related sites in County Kerry.

These have been complemented by other strategic land acquisitions across a range of other parks in the past few years. Connemara National Park has made its most significant addition to the park since it was first opened in 1980. The purchase last year of an additional 249 ha of land located in the townland of Tievebaun, County Galway, increased the size of Connemara National Park by over 12%. In 2023, Wild Nephin National Park added 165 ha to its footprint. Killarney National Park saw expansions of 122 ha in 2023 and a further 121 ha in 2024. Also in 2024, the Burren National Park acquired lands in Tullycommon, totalling 172 ha. Finally, this year has seen a number of purchases advance, including the completed acquisition of 208 ha at Glenveagh National Park in Donegal.

These purchases mean that more than 98,000 ha of land now fall within the boundary of national parks in Ireland. It means that additional woodland, heath and limestone pavements are now under the stewardship of the NPWS. It means that additional lands can be incorporated into the dark skies initiative at Wild Nephin. It means that vulnerable habitats and breeding grounds can now be nurtured and protected for years to come.

These lands provide a platform for the NPWS to undertake major capital investment. One of the hallmark capital-funded activities in national parks is the identification and control of invasive alien species. Each one of our national parks is a collection of different habitats with varying animals and plants native to each region. However, each park is susceptible to a range of non-native, invasive species that varies based on the specifics of each site. National parks provide an opportunity for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to study and research these invasive species, determining the optimum methodologies for their control and eventual eradication. In 2025, over €2 million has been allocated to address the issue of invasive species management across our national parks. Significant inroads have been made in several areas, in particular in the tackling of Rhododendron ponticum in significant parts of Killarney National Park.

With regard to the management of deer within our State-owned national parks and nature reserves, culling is a regular and ongoing management operation and is undertaken periodically when resources, weather and timing allow.This allows my Department to work towards sustainable herd management and, as such, there is annually, and will continue to be, a need to remove a certain percentage of animals from the herd, encompassing both age and gender, on an ongoing basis. There is a wealth of work going on in our national parks that I have yet to address. I will come back to it in my closing remarks. I will finish my opening remarks by saying issues of nature and of biodiversity affect us all, and perhaps hold a greater place in the public consciousness than ever before. One of the greatest strengths of our system of national parks is to provide greater access to and knowledge of issues surrounding nature and conservation for all. I recognise that the Members of this Chamber represent a wide variety of viewpoints and stakeholders from a range of backgrounds, and I look forward to listening to their contributions.