The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has “committed” to preserving existing farming practices on the newly acquired Conor Pass National Park in the Dingle Peninsula, according to the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
The Conor Pass National Park will span more than 70,000ac of lands and seas in public ownership and is Ireland’s newest and largest national park.
Details of the new park were just unveiled last month – the park located in Co. Kerry, will be Ireland’s eighth national park and first marine national park.
The INHFA believes that “it is vital that local farmers and the wider community are involved in any future plans” for the national park.
Kerry DJ Buckley, INHFA national council representative for Kerry, said this is important because it is about local farmers and the wider community’s “homes and their livelihoods”.
INHFA
According to the organisation some local farmers have expressed concerns about the impacts that the establishment of the new national park could have on the area – particularly in relation to an influx of visitors.
Following a meeting with the NPWS – which included the the INHFA’s county chair, Mary Sheehan, county secretary Brendan Greaney, local farmer Brendan O Rourke and national vice president John Joe Fitzgerald – the INHFA said it had received a commitment that the service will “work with the existing farmers” in the area.
The INHFA also praised the “positive nature” of the meeting.
Buckley highlighted that the NPWS had given a commitment “that any access will be tightly controlled and limited to existing pathways with assurances given that the surrounding area won’t become a gigantic car park”.
Conor Pass National Park
The new park will bring together recent acquisitions in by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula, such as the Conor Pass, the Owenmore River catchment, lands at Mount Brandon and the sand dune system at Inch Peninsula.
The 1,400ac of forestry and grazing land at the Conor Pass, which includes three lakes was placed on the market by its US owner last August.
The land had an asking price of €10 million, however, it is understood that the State bought the land for around €6 million.
Overall, the new national park has cost the State €12 million to develop, including the Conor Pass lands.