Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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730. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the efforts being made to avoid a repeat of the Killarney National Park fire; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40676/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Since the tragic fires in Killarney National Park earlier this year there has been significant work undertaken. The National Partks and Wildlife Sevice (NPWS), of my Department, has been working tirelessly to properly assess the damage and deal with the long term impacts. The NPWS have used the best available data and imagery (satellite and standard aerial) to map and assess the exact footprint of the burn area.

Using high resolution satellite imagery coupled with on the ground mapping, NPWS has determined the areas worst affected in terms of severity and intensity of the burns in the recent fires. All of the areas affected have been mapped in detail and a comprehensive GIS mapping layer has been built up. NPWS in conjunction with their sister park, Glacier National Park Montana have compiled a detailed map to contrast the satellite imagery available to both institutions and have worked on shared experiences to maximise the results for best interpretation.

Local management staff in Killarney, with input from the NPWS scientific unit, have also commissioned a suite of ecological surveys to assess the impacts of the fires on species and habitats. The outcome of these longer term surveys will aid management in dealing with the impact of this fire and will also establish a detailed base line for both habitats and species impacted as a result of fires in general and inform management of the sites into the future.

I announced in April of this year my intention to accelerate the recruitment of 60 new Conservation Ranger posts nationwide. The first 20 of these new rangers are currently being assigned to locations around Ireland, including Kerry. In addition, I have begun the process of creating, for the first time, a dedicated Wildlife Crime Unit in the NPWS' Headquarters. This Unit will support and enhance the law-enforcement work of our regional staff. I have also launched a protocol of cooperation and collaboration between the NPWS of this Department and An Garda Síochána for the purpose of combatting wildlife crime. This protocol will lead to much closer cooperation between both enforcement bodies, especially in the areas of communications, intelligence sharing and joint operations.

Ultimately though, when it comes to preventing these tragic events it needs to be underlined that wildland fires do not occur naturally in Ireland. The main cause of such conflagrations is thought to be the deliberate starting of fires without concern for the emergency services, the local wildlife, habitat, communities or even private property close by. The key message is that every member of society has a duty of care to themselves, their neighbours and the wider community to exercise great care when contemplating any burning, but particularly burning out of doors. Even planned and/or "controlled" burning can get out of hand very quickly so it is critically important that every member of society realises the damage that can be caused. Notwithstanding the ecological costs, setting fires during this time of national emergency is particularly reckless and places an unnecessary burden on our emergency services.

The issue of these fires cannot be seen as just a matter for my Department or the Department of Agriculture or Government; but rather as a matter for all citizens. The principle challenge here is to encourage members of the public, (including landowners, farmers and recreational users of publicly accessible land), to act responsibly at all times, to be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, to be mindful of the need to protect property, both publicly owned and privately owned and to appreciate the value of our natural heritage, particularly in our National Parks, Nature Reserves and Designated (Natura 2000) Sites.