Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
316. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions his Department is taking to control and eradicate invasive plant species such as rhododendron in Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44784/23]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the implementation of the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, both of which prohibit activities to introduce or spread invasive species. Under the current legislative framework, responsibility for managing invasive alien species rests with the landowner.
While my Department does not provide specific funding for private landowners to manage invasive alien species in the wider countryside, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department continues to invest heavily in and is committed to tackling the spread of invasive species across our network of National Parks, including Glenveagh in County Donegal.
The NPWS carries out an annual targeted programme of works to manage the spread of Rhododendron ponticum in the National Park. This multi-faceted programme includes, monitoring, surveillance, clearance, investigation, review, volunteer and contractor work groups and programmes.
The NPWS is also currently carrying out invasive species (Rhododendron and Laurel) management work in Ardnamona Wood Nature Reserve.
In addition, the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF), administered by the NPWS, assists local authorities in the implementation of actions in the National Biodiversity Action Plan. The funding stream launched in 2018 and is available to Biodiversity Officers and Heritage Officers across the country. The scheme enables local authorities, including Donegal County Council, to develop projects that address biodiversity loss in their localities, including projects to tackle invasive alien species in their areas.
