BROTHERS SEEK TO RE-WILD PARK
THREE brothers originally from Wicklow town have started a petition urging the Government to focus on rewilding Wicklow Mountains National Parks with native woodland and move away from Sitka plantations which choke native wildlife.
Daniel, Simon and Ian Alvey are behind the petition which already received 700 signatures within its first two days.
The brothers were moved to act with the launch this week of public consultation on a Masterplan for Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains National Park by Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with the Office of Public Works (OPW), National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Coillte along with the National Monuments Service and Wicklow County Council.
Speaking about the petition, Daniel said: ‘Me and my brothers would be regular visitors to the woodlands throughout our lives. It’s something we are passionate about and in the longterm we would like to buy up some land and commit to more native woodlands. However, the petition is focused on biodiversity and the reinstatement of habitats.
‘I read the Masterplan and it seems very commercially focused. Anyone who regularly visits the Wicklow Mountains will agree it is a National Park in name only, instead the landscape is dominated by Sitka spruce plantations that are regularly clear felled for commercial gain.’
The aim of the Masterplan is to improve the visitor experience and the consultant team, led by Consarc Design Group, are asking the public for their input into the project.
The Masterplan covers the full range of visitor attractions and activities available in the area, with a particular focus on active outdoor activities – primarily walking and cycling, and the visitor experience in the Glendalough valley.
The petition calls on the Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, to prioritise the removal of Sitka spruce plantations from within the protected boundaries of the park and the restoration of native woodland and other native habitats.
Daniel, who now lives in Newtownmountkennedy, added: ‘My brothers and I have spent our lives hiking and walking in Wicklow and can see how wildlife has been in decline. ‘When we heard about a proposed masterplan for the park we were disappointed to see no mention of addressing this issue but rather a focus on the ‘visitor experience’ by building more car parks, roads and walking trails.
‘I would be concerned that there is too much attention paid to new cycling and walking trails when more of an emphasis should be placed on having a wild core. Absolutely improve the visitor experience but remain conscious that it is the flora, fauna and wildlife that many people are going to enjoy.’
The petition is up on www.change.org and the Alvey brothers hope to achieve a few thousand signatures in the long-run. The petition will then be presented to Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan.
Older brother Simon, now living in Rathdrum, said: ‘During lockdown everyone has been walking and exercising outside much more and last year visitor numbers to the National Park increased considerably.
‘Anyone who travels from one end of the park to the other will know there is no true wilderness left and we need to change this by creating and growing a zone for native woodland and other habitats in the centre.
‘We welcome other aspects of this proposed plan to improve the ‘visitor experience’ by building new infrastructure and dispersing visitors to different sites across the park, but the true ‘visitor experience’ begins with the condition of the land and its flora and fauna and integral to this process must be an active management plan for improving biodiversity.’
WE’VE SPENT OUR LIVES HIKING AND WALKING IN WICKLOW AND CAN SEE HOW WILDLIFE HAS BEEN IN DECLINE