Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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173. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has plans to enhance biodiversity measures in the Wild Nephin National Park, County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46423/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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My Department is deeply committed to the development of the National Park in Mayo. In 2017 the entire Wild Nephin area was consolidated into the ownership of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The addition of Wild Nephin area and also, separately a private acquisition of 1,200 acres at Altnabrockey has expanded the total size of the Park to over 15,000 hectares of Atlantic blanket bogs and mountainous terrain in the Barony of Erris in northwest County Mayo. The expansion adds significantly to the overall biological diversity of the National Park which will be augmented further under Park conservation management.The culmination of constructive engagement between Coillte and my Department, the expansion of the Park addresses a long standing strategy to align key environmental assets and an exceptional opportunity has been realised for the State. This transfer underlines the State’s determination in preserving our natural heritage not only for ourselves, but also for our children and our children’s children.

The Wild Nephin Area is an important area for nature conservation and public amenity and through a state – owned re-wilding project we aim to provide increased nature conservation benefits and biodiversity as well as enhanced recreational and social benefits in Wild Nephin National Park. The Nephin Wilderness Project is designed to manage the conversion of the former commercial forestry section of the National Park over a 15-year period which will act as Phase 1 of a long-term vision to restore habitats and biodiversity within an intensively managed area.

The Project is guided by a Wild Nephin Conversion Plan 2022 – 2037 which focuses on the principles of rewilding and habitat restoration to convert an area previously managed for timber extraction of non-native conifers to an area which prioritises biodiversity, restores ecosystems and promotes sustainable interactions between people and nature. This plan will cover the conversion of the area known as the Nephin Forest and its integration into the National Park. The Wild Nephin Conversion Plan (Phase I) will facilitate the rewilding and restoration of the landscapes and habitats of Wild Nephin, allowing natural ecological processes to become the dominant drivers of the landscape, where biodiversity is enhanced, ecosystems restored, and low impact recreation opportunities will connect people with nature across generations.

The rewilding and habitat restoration of Wild Nephin aims to support a natural and biodiverse ecosystem which will provide a connection to a larger community of life by encouraging the enjoyment of nature, solitude and challenging recreation without creating a significant human impact on this area of outstanding natural beauty, where nature is the priority. The project is based on actions to be taken in the first 15 years of habitat restoration through the establishment of goals which are informed by the overall nature conservation objectives of the NPWS alongside national and international legislation, policies and agreements. These include links with the Natura 2000 Network, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Paris Climate Agreement and the Bern Convention alongside links in with strategies such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the current situation globally in regards to biodiversity loss and the climate crisis.