Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
630. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline which national parks have current management plans in place; the timelines for when all national parks will have their own management plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14048/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department is currently seeking to put in place a new set of publicly available management plans for its entire system of National Parks, as well as Coole Park Nature Reserve. This requires an approach tailored to the specific and unique features of each locality/area and will involve opportunities for engagement with members of the public. The aim is to ensure the management plans encapsulate both long-term strategic planning, e.g. woodland strategies for an area, while providing a dashboard of useful baseline information to the public, e.g. annual tracked visitor numbers to a site. This will be a modern platform to help to provide opportunities for greater public involvement and insights on the management of each Park, as well as providing educational value to students on environmental issues.
Arrangements are currently being made to progress management plans for several National Parks/Reserves during 2026.
