Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 497: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to put in place visitor facilities at the Burren National Park; when a draft management plan for the park will be published; if his attention has been drawn to the Heritage Council wildlife officer's (details supplied) proposed strategy for the Burren, Building a New Burren; if same will be considered when drafting the management plan; the number of Government reports which have been drafted on the Burren over the past 15 years and the cost of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37676/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In 2001 the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which is now part of my Department, provided some €896,000 towards the Burren display centre at Kilfenora, which includes interpretative material on the Burren National Park. More recently, a number of small lay-bys for limited car parking, and road improvement works surrounding the national park, have been carried out; and improved carparking facilities are now to be provided in co-operation with Clare County Council.

A new management planning process is being put in place for all six national parks, including the Burren. The preparation of the management plan for the Burren National Park will provide an opportunity to set out the key objectives for the park over a five-year period in areas such as conservation and sustainable recreational and educational use. The question of providing further visitor facilities for the Burren will be addressed in that context.

All six national parks in Ireland are State-owned and are classified as category 11 national parks under the categorisation of the World Conservation Union, IUCN. This approach has worked well in developing national parks of a high standard in terms of conservation and sustainable use. It is not proposed at present to depart from this model. No reports on the Burren National Park have been published by my Department in recent years. Details of earlier reports are being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy.