Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for being with us today to discuss this really important issue. As he mentioned in his opening remarks, it is vital we are discussing this and bringing it to the fore. As we debate the protection of the future of our national parks, I will take this opportunity to raise a matter that is very close to my heart and the hearts of the people in Macroom and mid-Cork, which the future of the Gearagh. I am sure the Minister of State is familiar with it, being from where he is from, but for those who are not, the Gearagh is one of Ireland's unique natural landscapes. It is a submerged woodland of ancient oaks and waterways and is home to rare birdlife, fish species and plant communities that are found nowhere else in the country. It is very much a place of ecological importance but it is also of deep cultural and historical value. It is a living reminder of what Ireland's great forests once looked like, as well as the community it helped.

For many years now, local groups, environmental advocates and community leaders have spoken about the potential to designate the Gearagh as a national park. I believe this would give the Gearagh the recognition and protection it deserves while also supporting sustainable tourism and educational opportunities for the wider region. It would expand Ireland's network of protected areas, promote biodiversity and strengthen the connection between rural communities and conservation. A national park designation would not only safeguard the ecology of the Gearagh but would also create lasting benefits for Macroom, Inchigeelagh, Lee Valley and the surrounding areas, encouraging visitors, supporting local enterprise and giving pride of place to one of Cork's greatest natural treasures. However, this must be done in partnership with the community, with landowners, anglers, farmers and local organisations all represented at the table. We know from the past that when local people are part of the process, the results are better, stronger and, in general, longer lasting. I therefore urge the Minister of State to begin a structured consultation with all relevant stakeholders: NPWS, Cork County Council, the ESB, local heritage groups and the people who live beside and care for the Gearagh, to explore the practical steps required to achieve national park status. This is a moment of opportunity for mid-Cork to protect a place of immense natural beauty, to promote sustainable rural development and to leave a legacy future generations will thank us for and which has not been done up to this point. I believe the Gearagh deserves nothing less.

On a separate note and as has been mentioned already by my colleague Senator Flaherty, I raise the memorandum of understanding between the NPWS and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC, which was signed earlier this year. While we have seen a lot of progress and developments since the signing of that memorandum of understanding and the practical co-operation it can lead to in the countryside, the announcement of a review of this memorandum without consultation or notice to the NARGC caused quite a bit of upset and confusion as to why this was done without consultation, and I ask the Minister of State why that was. If the review is approached in a collaborative and transparent way with input from all stakeholders, it can improve trust, enhance the framework and build confidence for the rural sector. Key to any of these negotiations or communications is always transparency and coherence, bound by a shared commitment to our conservation. I believe all groups involved in this are committed to conservation.

I believe deeply that conservation and rural life are not opposing forces, though at times it can be perceived that they are. The people who live closest to nature are often its greatest guardians and we need to respect that. When the Government recognises this and when it listens, includes and trusts our rural communities, we all benefit.