Glenveagh National Park rewilding sets a new benchmark

Ecologist Pádraic Fogarty examines the ambitious plans and lessons learnt so far in restoring nature in national parks

Glenveagh National Park. Minister of State for Nature, Malcolm Noonan has launched what he describes as "one of the most ambitious nature restoration projects in the history of the State".
Picture: Pádraic Fogarty 

In 2001, Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal was the scene for, what was then, arguably the most ambitious nature restoration projects ever to have taken place in Ireland. The release of golden eagles marked not only the return of a species that had been driven to extinction from Irish skies over a century before, but the return of apex predators to the Irish ecosystem.

Things have not gone terribly well for the golden eagles. It quickly became apparent that the landscape, not only in Glenveagh but in the wider Donegal uplands, had become so degraded that it could not support sufficient prey for the birds, hares and red grouse mostly. To this day, they have not managed to extend their range into neighbouring counties, which would have been expected by now had the birds’ breeding success been higher. Still, they’re holding on. According to the Golden Eagle Trust, in 2024 there were eight territories but only half of these nests produced chicks.