Rewild Wicklow Hits Leinster House

Step by step…

atest press release from Steven Matthews TD, issued on Friday, June 11th 2021…

Green Party TD Steven Matthews met with the Alvey family from Wicklow yesterday at Leinster House along with Minister Malcolm Noonan to hand over the massive petition on ideas for rewilding the Wicklow Mountains National Park.

The petition has been signed by almost 12,000 people and the group has been looking at a range of ideas on restoration and regeneration of the vast expanse of natural habitats in Wicklow’s National Park.

Deputy Matthews said, “Minister Noonan recently launched an ambitious bog rewetting initiative at the Liffey Head Bog in the Wicklow Mountains and visited the scene of devastation after wildfires last month. The National Parks and Wildlife Service NPWS has a vital role in managing our national upland areas and I also met with the review team recently on how we can strengthen the Service to carry out their work.

“The NPWS this year received significant increase in their budget and resources to ensure we protect our biodiversity and habitats in Wicklow. The recent public consultation on the role of the NPWS generated huge public engagement and I look forward to the publication of the review report.

“There is a huge challenge to reverse the biodiversity crisis and ecological damage of the past decades and the petition today signifies the overwhelming desire for action on this issue.

“There is an unprecedented commitment in the Programme for Government for action on Biodiversity and Climate Action and I urge everyone to keep the pressure on all political parties to support us on our objectives and ensure sufficient funding and community inclusion on this existential challenge.”