Killarney National Park - Conservation Threats

Conservation Threats

The park has a number of conservation and management challenges. One of these is the park's proximity Killarney town, one of Ireland's best known tourist destinations. Killarney has hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Most of these visitors spend time in the park. Careful management is needed to ensure minimal conflict between conservation and recreation.

The past introduction of several exotic species to the park is an additional human influence on the area. These species have damaged the natural ecosystems of Killarney. The most notable of these species are the Common Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum), which has infested large areas of the National Park, and Sika Deer, which overgraze the woodland floor and pose a potential threat to the genetic integrity of the native Red Deer. Both Rhododendron and Sika Deer can have an adverse effect on the native flora by inhibiting regeneration. A more recent, accidental, introduction is the American Mink, which is now firmly established in the Park alongside the native Otter. Extinctions caused by humans include the Wolf (Canis lupus L.) and the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos L.).

Fires caused by human activity occur with some frequency in the park. Despite the wet climate, they can spread quite rapidly to cover large areas. These fires rarely penetrate areas covered by dense woodlands, but they do burn readily through stands of open woodland.

The main land use within the site is grazing by sheep. Deer grazing is also common. The woods in the park are currently severely overgrazed by Sika Deer. Grazing has caused damage to many terrestrial habitats, causing heath and blanket bogs to degrade and preventing woodland regeneration. In the upland areas erosion caused by grazing is exacerbated by the exposed nature of the terrain. Pressures from native grazers like Red Deer and Irish Hare have increased since their main natural predators, the Wolf and Golden Eagle, became extinct. Grazing and disturbance of vegetation greatly aids the spread of Rhododendron.

The common Rhododendron is perhaps the greatest threat to the ecology of the park. It is an evergreen shrub with a natural distribution in the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas. Rhododendrons died out in Ireland because of climate change thousands of years ago. It was introduced to the Killarney area during the 19th century, and rapidly took hold. It has spread through its large numbers of very small easily dispersed seeds. It shades the ground flora and so prevents the regeneration of native woody species. More than 6.5 square kilometres (1,600 acres) of the park are now completely infested. They have had a devastating effect in certain parts of the park. As light cannot penetrate the dense thickets of rhododendrons, very few plants can live beneath it. The park's oak woods are in long-term danger because they cannot regenerate. There is a policy of control and eradication of rhododendrons in the park.