'Day of hope' for nature with €55m package announced for parks and wildlife

National Park and Wildlife Service Conservation wildlife rangers William Hunt and Mary Sheehan, at the Eagles Nest, Killarney National Park. Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan

A €55m package to revamp the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has been hailed as "turning the tide" on the biodiversity crisis in Ireland.

The NPWS has long been derided as unfit for purpose, with limited powers and low staff morale because of a perceived lack of teeth in dealing with biodiversity issues.