Public Consultation on a National Strategy on Outdoor Recreation (Phase 2)
A National Outdoor Recreation Strategy is currently being developed by Comhairle na Tuaithe (The Countryside Council) in conjunction with the Department of Rural and Community Development. It is expected that the Strategy will be launched later this year.
The strategy will provide a vision and an overarching framework for the growth and development of outdoor recreation in Ireland, creating a shared approach for the many strategies, programmes, agencies and elements in Ireland’s outdoor recreation sector.
We at Leave No Trace believe that public consultation is paramount to the development of our National Outdoor Recreation Strategy. The learning and information goes both ways: those who are working to develop our outdoor recreation learn about why people engage with the outdoors, and how they imagine it growing going forwards; and the public get to contribute their lived experience, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the many layers that go into the development of such strategies.
Read the press release below, where we have linked the Phase Two Survey.
Press Release Details
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, T.D. has launched a second public consultation on the Government’s new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, which is currently being developed by Comhairle na Tuaithe (The Countryside Council). By ‘outdoor recreation’, we mean activities that take place in the natural environment, such as walking, canoeing and wild swimming. It does not include activities that take place outdoors on confined courses or pitches (such as golf, football, show jumping) nor motorised activities (such as quads) except for ability assistance, activities that do not involve human effort/power or hunting and shooting as they do not fall within the remit of Comhairle na Tuaithe and therefore are not within the scope of this strategy.
In Phase 1, we gathered your views on key themes in outdoor recreation to help develop the Strategy. We received positive feedback from you on the proposed Strategy vision, mission and values.
Vision: Ireland’s outdoors, a world of activities for all.
Mission: The strategy will lead, guide and facilitate the sustainable development and management of outdoor recreation and increased participation, in order to realise social, health and economic benefits. We will do this whilst respecting the custodians of the land and water, caring for the environment and promoting responsible recreation.
Values: Collaboration, Leadership, Inclusion, Quality, Respect, Adventure
Based on feedback from Phase 1, we developed proposed objectives and actions for 6 key themes. In Phase 2, we are now seeking your views on these objectives and actions prior to making final decisions on the Strategy content.
To accurately capture your views on the 6 themes, please complete the short online survey. For each theme, brief background information, the proposed objective and proposed actions are provided within the survey for you to comment on. All information relating to Phase 2 consultation is contained within the survey (download here); there is no separate document to reference.
The information gathered will be confidential and anonymous. If you choose to supply an email address, the information will still be anonymised, but we will send you a link to the Strategy once it has been launched.
The consultation will close on 17 May 2022 at midnight. We appreciate your time in contributing to this process and value your input.
Further Information
More details can be found on the government webpage relating to the consultation here.
Any questions on the consultation process can be emailed to [email protected]
Leave No Trace Media Contact :
Grace Fox, Communications Officer, Leave No Trace Ireland ([email protected])
