Dublin City Council recently announced that five new Conservation Park Rangers have begun work in St Annes Park/North Bull Island.
The role of the Conservation Park Ranger is to increase awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of the Nature Reserve and St Annes Park by engaging with various user groups and the public.
The Rangers will also be monitoring activities and promoting responsible behaviour particularly on the island, where there are such fragile habitats.
Members of the public are encouraged to talk to the Rangers and share their passion for the area.
The North Bull Island Nature Reserve sits on the north side of Dublin bay adjacent to St Annes Park.
It is quite unique for a capital city to have such a spectacle of nature on its doorstep and a UNESCO Biosphere designation (for Dublin Bay).
However, the island is also a huge resource for amenity and recreation with well over 1 million visitors to the island every year for a range of different activities.
The challenge is how to balance the needs of people and nature conservation.
In 2021, Dublin City Council published a 20 point action plan to support conservation objectives and importantly to create a forum for a range of stakeholders to collaborate on measures to support conservation and to communicate with the users of the island.
The five new Rangers were hired arising from the action plan.
