Invader threat to Killarney from rhododendron

Rhododendron is a threat to Ireland’s first national park, writes Donal Hickey

Anyone who cares to look can see obvious threats to Ireland’s first national park from the invasive species, rhododendron. In the wake of a recent call by the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) on Unesco to suspend the status of Killarney National Park as a biosphere reserve, citing issues about the management of woodlands and an expanding deer population, I decided to take a closer look.

The group, Just Forests, seems correct in its claim that rhodo infestation in the 10,000-hectare park is out of control. At the weekend, I walked through several areas in the park.