Menu
Ireland's political and cultural magazine
74 March/April 2022
‘Strategic Action Plan for the NPWS’ which is the
planned outcome of the Review process”, he
replied to a written Parliamentary question on 21
January 2022.
This technique of making a final report part of
an ongoing multi-part bigger report, to avoid
release, has been resolutely struck down by the
EU Commissioner for Environmental Information.
Unfortunately for the Minister, he forgot what
he had said in his written reply. Pádraic Fogarty
author of ‘Whittled Away’ wrote on 4 February that
he had been “assured by the Minister that the
review of the NPWS and an action plan to
implement its recommendations would be
published next week or the week after”.
The ‘NPWS Review’, was leaked to anonymous
but well-informed campaigning website -
irishriverproject.com’. It was even more
devastating than anyone imagined. Tim O’Brien
of the Irish Times synopsised its findings: “not fit
for the task, according to a Government-
commissioned report”. What was needed was “a
fundamental overhaul of structures and
governance” (the NPWS doesn’t even have a
single boss), “a clear strategic plan and leadership
to implement it, better internal and external
communications, and re-energised teams”.
Otherwise the NPWS “cannot meet current
obligations, let alone plan for and respond to
future challenges and legislation, including the
Climate Action Bill and EU Biodiversity Strategy to
2030”.
Paddy Woodworth summed it up: “It is vital that
the review, and associated materials, are
published now so that the public can judge for
themselves whether this ‘action plan’ really
follows through from the incisive proposals put
forward in the Final Report on the key findings and
recommendations”.
Final Report on the Key Findings and
recommendations, June 2021’. But according to a
spokeswoman for Malcolm Noonan, it is in fact not
so much “final” as a ‘draft review’. She said “Mr
Noonan will not be commenting as a final version
is as of yet unpublished”. Clearly there is a battle
over the final version with some people close to
Noonan keen to adulterate the substance of the
review.
The Minister was more polished, explaining in
a written parliamentary response to a question on
21 January this year that there were in fact three
phases to the Review process. The first phase of
extensive research, consultation and orientation
“feeds into the remaining phases as the rest of the
Review process continues apace”.
Veteran restoration ecologist Paddy Woodworth
pointed out in the Irish Times on 15 February that
it went through a laborious process within the
NPWS. Now, “It would hardly be acceptable for an
independent report to be rewritten by those it’s
reporting on”.
We are now in the second phase. The ‘reflect
phase’. That is the Minister is in the ‘reflect phase’.
Though – keep up - we the public don’t actually
get to reflect before it’s all over – when we move
onto the final phase – the ‘Renew Phase’.
“None of the component parts of the Review
process will be disaggregated or published
separately ahead of a Government decision on the
T
he NPWS handles the State’s nature
conservation functions. As well as
managing the national parks, the
activities of the NPWS include the
designation and protection of Natural
Heritage Areas, Special Areas of Conservation
and Special Protection Areas.
A 2019 report to to the EU written by the
informed scientific division of the NPWS stated
that “85 per cent of habitats are in unfavourable
(i.e. inadequate or bad) status, with 46 per cent of
habitats demonstrating ongoing declining
trends”.
Recognising this, the Dáil declared a
biodiversity emergency that same year. Green
Party leader Eamon Ryan fulminated that the
climate and biodiversity emergency meant
“absolutely nothing unless there is action to back
it up”. Well there is no action. Ryan went on: “That
means the Government having to do things they
don’t want to do”. Well in government the Greens
won’t push their agenda when it hurts or annoys.
In an article last year in Village I posited that the
NPWS need the following: more money, deference
to EU habitats laws, more emphasis on science
not local politics and more power to experts not
bureaucrats.
Perhaps recognising these and other
deficiencies a strategic review of the National
Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) by Professor
Jane Stout and Micheál Ó Cinnéide had been
commissioned in 2021 by Green Heritage Minister
Malcolm Noonan, Last June, the authors
submitted their “Final report on the Key
Recommendations and Findings” to the Minister.
It was expected, from the Terms of Reference, that
it would be published shortly afterwards.
The June report remains unpublished but
details have leaked into the public domain. It
appears to be an admirably frank and forensic
analysis of the NPWS. The authors find the
organisation is not fit for purpose, and “cannot
meet current obligations, let alone plan for and
respond to future challenges and legislation”.
The title page calls it ‘Review of the NPWS 2021:
It is vital that the review, and associated
materials, are published now so that the public
can judge for themselves whether this ‘action
plan’ really follows through from the incisive
proposals put forward in the Final Report
By Tony Lowes
ENVIRONMENT
Publish the Final Report on the
NPWS now, Minister Noonan
An extraordinary chance to
change our conservation
culture is being blown by a
weak minister, intimidated by
a cabal of senior civil servants
and National Parks and Wildlife
Service careerists who don’t
want a critical report published
Grsp the nettle, Mlcolm
