Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 November 2016
142. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of invasive species of plants and weed detected in Connemara National Park, Letterfrack, County Galway; the extent of their presence there; the kind of threat they pose to the natural environment; the plans in place to tackle them, including an estimated cost of any such action; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33983/16]
View answerAt present, there are three species of invasive plants identified within the boundaries of Connemara National Park. These are Lesser Knotweed (Persicaria campanulata), Giant Rhubarb (Gunnera tinctoria) and Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum). Each of these poses its own particular challenge and requires a specific plan of action to control, manage and, where possible and practicable, eradicate.
Lesser Knotweed is present in a small area of Connemara National Park and is not considered a major threat. A plan has been developed, in conjunction with Letterfrack Tidy Towns Committee, to eradicate this species within the village and the National Park. Due to the small area involved, costs will be minimal and total eradication is expected.
A small number of Giant Rhubarb plants have been identified within the confines of the National Park. Due to identification of this species in the adjacent Letterfrack village area, it has been included in the plan, formulated with Letterfrack Tidy Towns, to eradicate invasive species from the area. As with Lesser Knotweed, it is expected that the costs involved will be low, being limited mainly to the cost of the herbicides used.
Rhododendron occurs in important habitats in Connemara National Park such as oak woodlands, bogs and heath, and is considered a problematic invasive species. My Department carries out an annual targeted programme of works to manage the spread of Rhododendron in the Park. The extent of the problem varies from area to area within the Park and, having regard to the very dynamic nature of this invasive species, the targeted management programme is routinely monitored and adjusted with a view to ensuring optimum efficacy.
If left unchecked, this invasive species can grow in dense thickets and replace native shrub, exclude native vegetation, and constrain native woodland regeneration. The management programme has made significant inroads into the problem and large areas of previously infested areas are now clear of the plant. Since 2012, over €13,000 has been spent by my Department on Rhododendron clearance in Connemara National Park.
Ultimately the plan is to clear all Rhododendron ponticum from our National Parks and, as part of that plan, the annual Rhododendron management programme is intended to create conditions in the Park that are conducive to the protection and re-establishment of native species and, particularly, our native woodlands. My Department is committed to continuing this important and challenging work into the future.
In this regard I would like to recognise the important contribution of volunteer groups to this work, and also to acknowledge the excellent work of my Department’s staff in Connemara National Park who, along with their colleagues in National Parks around the country, have been instrumental in developing new methods to increase the effectiveness of our efforts to control this plant and other invasive species.
General information on invasive species and what the public can do to help is available on the invasive species section of the National Biodiversity Data Centre website at http://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/.
