€700,000 spent in bid to wipe out invasive rhododendron in Killarney

A state agency confirmed it has spent €700,000 over the past five years in trying to eradicate rhododendron in the Killarney National Park.

A woodlands conservation agency Just Forests called for the Irish Army to be drafted in to tackle the problem as the Department of Arts Heritage, Regional Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs revealed €210,000 was expended in 2016, alone.

Rhododendron has become an invasive species in Ireland and has spread across much of the 10,000-hectare park, Ireland’s first national park and, since 1982, a Unesco biosphere reserve. Last month, the Irish Wildlife Trust lodged a complaint with Unesco over the failure by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to submit periodic reviews.