The Government has unveiled a National Parks strategy that will see a management plan put in place for each of the country's six national parks based on consultation with the public.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Martin Cullen, introduced the strategy at Muckross House today, where he launched the draft of the 2004-2008 Killarney National Park Management Plan.
National park managers will now consult annually with local Park Liason Committees on the formulation of a management plan for the running of Killarney, Wicklow, Glenveagh, Connemara, Burren and Ballycroy Parks.
There will be a widespread public consultation on the elements of the Killarney plan prior to its final adoption and implementation. The first consultation process on the Wicklow Mountains National Park plan has concluded and the plan is being finalised.
"In putting together this approach, the Government is commencing a dynamic process of management planning for Killarney and all our National Parks," said Minister Cullen.
"Final plans will be kept under constant review and assessment, and the liaison committee will continue to meet with Government to ensure this process works. Moreover, near the end of the five-year implementation stage, a full assessment of progress achieved will be undertaken and a new plan will be elaborated for a further five years," he said.
Public advertisements inviting submissions on the Killarney draft plan will be placed within the next week. Interested parties will have six weeks to make submissions to the Department of the Environment.
Copies of the draft will be made available at 16 locations around the Killarney area and it will also be accessible on the Department's website at www.environ.ie.
The draft Killarney plan was drawn up after consultations between the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Killarney National Park Liaison Committee.
Membership of the 25-member committee was open to the public and includes representatives of angling, environmental, educational, recreational, business and disability groups.
An estimated 2.5 million people visit Ireland's national parks annually, which along with the 66 State-owned nature reserves, make up 1.5 per cent of the country's total land mass. The Government has allocated €24 million to the National Parks and Wildlife Service this year.