Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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836. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the conservation measures in place for Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30089/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí is Ireland’s eighth and largest National Park, with more than 77,000 acres of lands and seas in public ownership included within its boundaries.

The Páírc brings together a suite of renowned sites of iconic natural, cultural and archaeological value centred around Corca Dhuibhne, the Dingle peninsula and nearby Kerry waters. Each of these sites has long been recognised and protected individually as of outstanding importance.

A map of all of the sites included with Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí can be found at www.nationalparks.ie/mara-ciarrai.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department recently completed a public consultation to inform the future development and management of the Páirc that drew widespread and positive participation from members of the public and a range of interested stakeholders.

These submissions are currently being collated into a report that will inform and shape the conservation, development and management of the National Park, building on the extensive engagement with local communities in Corca Dhuibhne which has already been carried out by the NPWS.

In terms of conservation measures, each of the protected sites within the Páirc has its own distinct legal protections, requirements and measures in place, from the UNESCO World Heritage designation on the Skelligs, to the multiple European sites within the Páirc designated as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas.

Detailed information on Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation, including those in Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí, may be found on www.npws.ie/protectedsites.