Killarney National Park retains reserve status

Killarney National Park has maintained its status as a Unesco world biosphere reserve. However, plans to extend the area of reserve five-fold have been delayed.

Last December, the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) asked the United Nations to suspend the designation of Killarney, the country’s first national park, as a biosphere reserve, amid concern about the management of the 10,129 hectare park’s woodlands and deer, as well as threats posed by invasive species and wildfires.

Since its designation, in 1982, not a single review of the park has been submitted by the NPWS to Unesco, as required, nor has Unesco demanded the periodic reviews. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan backed the IWT call, saying he had grave concerns for the park.