Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
676. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to review the protection including enforcement of relevant legislation of Ireland's natural heritage, including hedgerows, native woodland and wetlands. [40191/21]
View answerI have taken the following steps towards fulfilling this commitment:
I launched a protocol of cooperation and collaboration between the National Parks and Wildlife Service of this Department and An Garda Síochána for the purpose of combating wildlife crime. This protocol will lead to much closer cooperation between both enforcement bodies, especially in the areas of communications, intelligence sharing and joint operations.
I have begun the process of creating, for the first time, a dedicated Wildlife Crime Unit in the National Parks and Wildlife Service This Unit will support and enhance the law-enforcement work of our regional staff. It will also collaborate with An Garda Síochána and Revenue’s Custom Service to ensure that we play our part in combating illegal international trade in protected species.
I announced my intention to fill up to 60 Conservation Ranger posts. This will represent an increase of approximately 30% in the number of Conservation Rangers in the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The first 20 of these new rangers are currently being assigned to locations around Ireland and the new Wildlife Crime Unit will play a leading role in their training.
I commissioned an independent report on the readiness of the National Parks and Wildlife Service to face the challenges of the coming decade and I expect to receive the final report soon.
I will consider the report’s findings and recommendations carefully before deciding if any further measures are needed to strengthen NPWS’s ability to protect biodiversity.
