The National Parks and Wildlife Service manages the Irish State's nature conservation responsibilities. It is part of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
The Service was established after the abolition of Dúchas – The Heritage Service

Dúchas

Dúchas – The Heritage Service was the Irish State body responsible for national monuments and historic properties. It was established under the Heritage Act 1995 and took over responsibility for the management of national parks and wildlife from the Office of Public Works...

 in 2003. Dúchas' responsibilities had included the management of Ireland's six national parks

National Parks in the Republic of Ireland

National Parks in the Republic of Ireland is a link page for any national park in the Republic of Ireland.Table below shows the name of the national park and in which county of Ireland it is located. The first park which was established in Ireland was the Killarney located in County Kerry in 1932...

 and wildlife.

As well as managing the national parks, the activities of the NPWS include the designation and protection of Natural Heritage Areas

Natural Heritage Area

Natural Heritage Area is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the Republic of Ireland. The Wildlife Act 2000 makes legal provision for the designation and protection of a national network of Natural Heritage Areas...

, Special Areas of Conservation

Special Area of Conservation

A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...

 and Special Protection Areas

Special Protection Area

A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...

.