Members of the public and stakeholders are being invited to participate in the development of the first three-year Strategy Statement for the National Parks and Wildlife Service through a public consultation, which is now open.
The Strategy Statement will set out the core mission and values of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, together with the organisation’s key strategic priorities as an organisation for 2023-2025.
In May 2022 the government approved the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan for the renewal of the NPWS as an executive agency within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
There are significant strategic priorities that the NPWS must address in the coming three years, and equally significant challenges to overcome. The NPWS is, therefore, seeking the views of individuals and organisations as to what its main priorities should be, what the principal challenges are across the key areas of its work, and any other views that should be taken into account as the Strategy is developed.
You can participate in this consultation by completing the online questionnaire, or by emailing a detailed written submission addressing the questions in the consultation document to StrategyConsultation@npws.gov.ie
The consultation closes on 9 December 2022.
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan said:
“In publishing the Strategic Action Plan for the Renewal of the NPWS earlier this year, we committed to organisational changes in order to establish clearer core priorities and better direction of resources toward those priorities.
“Our aim is to have an NPWS that is more resilient, more stable, with a stronger identity of its own, better able to drive and lead change. The process of change in the organisation continues at pace and today’s public consultation on the Strategy Statement is another step forward in delivering that aim.
“We have big challenges ahead of us to protect, conserve and restore our biodiversity. I’d like to encourage everyone who cares about nature in Ireland to get involved and help us shape the way forward for the NPWS.”