Denis Foley
Question:104 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the townlands, if any, in County Kerry which have been designated as special areas of conservation. [6675/97]
Written Answers. - Special Areas of Conservation.
I am arranging to have the list of sites for designation as special areas of conservation in County Kerry, together with maps indicating the location, forwarded to the Deputy by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department.
Síle de Valera
Question:105 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht his views on whether the International Union for Conservation and Nature has a silent policy or philosophy on the question of hunting in protected areas, including national parks. [6755/97]
In establishing Ireland's national parks, Irish Governments, on the advice of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), have adopted the criteria set down by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, (IUCN), the World Conservation Union for National Parks.
A national park is defined by the IUCN as a "natural area of land and-or sea, designated to (a) protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for present and future generations, (b) to exclude exploitation or occupation inimical to the purposes of designation of the area and (c) provide a foundation for spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities, all of which must be environmentally and culturally compatible."
It is my view — as it has been the view of successive Irish Governments — that hunting or sport shooting are incompatible with these three objectives. Hunting or sport shooting are, therefore, not permitted in Irish national parks and I do not propose to alter this approach. I am advised by the NPWS that most managers of IUCN category II protected areas — national parks — support this prohibition.
In a recent letter to the NPWS the IUCN confirm that "IUCN provides technical background and experience on protected areas and many other environmental issues, but it is up to each country to decide how to apply them." The letter also goes on to state that "if hunting is against some of the objectives of the national parks in Ireland, the provision of forbidding hunting is absolutely valid."