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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (Thursday 27th June 2024) announced the expansion of the Mountain Access Project.
The Mountain Access Project (MAP) aims to build a sustainable management model for recreational access to the uplands, based on permissive access to predominantly privately owned lands in a defined mountain area, where all parties agree on management issues such as entry points and the provision of stiles and parking.
A key benefit for areas participating in the MAP is a public liability insurance cover which is provided for private landholders that allow access for recreational activities in the designated areas.
Minister Humphreys today opened up a call for expressions of interest for new upland areas to join the MAP in line with a commitment in Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027.
Making the announcement today at the first National Outdoor Recreation Conference in Sligo, Minister Humphreys stated:
“For a long time now, I have been convinced of the value of the wonderful outdoor resources we have here in Ireland. Right across Ireland we are blessed with wonderful landscapes dispersed with magnificent rivers, lakes and mountains, all of which is bound by a rugged coastline. This is an outdoor recreation paradise.
“At the same time, we also need to be mindful that many of our wonderful trails and walking routes are on private lands. This is particularly the case with our uplands. Without the goodwill of landowners we would not have access to many of our favourite mountains, and so it is vital that we all use these amenities responsibly, and support and respect the landowners.
“Today, I am pleased to announce an expansion of my Department’s ‘Mountain Access Project’ and to formally launch a call for expressions of interest for new upland areas who are interested in joining this initiative.
The Minister concluded:
“This voluntary initiative is all about partnering with farmers and landowners to allow access to the countryside in a sustainable and responsible manner – benefitting the landowner, walkers, hikers and tourists alike.
“I would encourage interested upland communities, especially those areas that get a lot of walkers and hikers, to read the guidance and consider whether the Mountain Access Project would benefit your area.
Further details on the Mountain Access Project, including a link to the Mountain Access Project Guidance document and the Expression of Interest Form are available on gov.ie: Mountain Access Project
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
Comhairle na Tuaithe (The Countryside Council) is an Advisory Council, established in February 2004, by the then Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. It meets four times a year. It is made up of stakeholder representatives from farming organisations, recreational users of the countryside, and state bodies with a responsibility or interest in the countryside.
In June 2019, a new vision and mandate was presented to Comhairle na Tuaithe to reinforce and strengthen its advisory role for the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland and an independent Chair, Dr Liam Twomey, was appointed.
Embracing Ireland's Outdoors: National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027 Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors was launched in November 2022. A key action within the strategy is to expand the Mountain Access Project by adopting an integrated approach to management of access in upland areas.
For more information on the see here: Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors - National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027
The Mountain Access Project (MAP) has been developed through Comhairle na Tuaithe as an approach to facilitating and managing public recreational access to defined upland areas which, in the main, are made up of privately owned land. A defined upland area is a specific area in the uplands to which landowners have granted permissive access for recreational use. The area should include peaks of 400m or more.
MAP areas are led by a local representative group and deliver added value through the development and delivery of a “Management and Maintenance Plan” for the MAP area. The MAP aims to provide clarity of access to a defined upland area based on a voluntary agreement with all the landowners in the area. It addresses the concerns of landowners through agreement on defined access points on and off the hill, provision of parking, stiles and other infrastructure, and by accessing funding for any necessary maintenance or other works. The objective of the MAP is to manage the existing access to the uplands in these areas in a sustainable manner.
The Mountain Access Project is hosted and driven by a local stakeholder group that is representative of the upland area and includes private and public landowners, community organisations, recreational users and recreational service providers.
The Department is now inviting expressions of interest from stakeholder groups interested in joining the Mountain Access Project.
Further details on the Mountain Access Project, including a link to the Mountain Access Project Guidance document and the Expression of Interest Form are available on gov.ie: Mountain Access Project
Completed Expressions of Interest should be emailed to cnat@drcd.gov.ie by close of business on Friday 27th September 2024.