New policies

Forest and Bird, Issue 265, 1 August 1992, Page 49

New policies

THE COUNCIL meeting adopted five new policies which had been developed by the executive in consultation with branches: The transport policy has two main goals: the reduction in New Zealand’s total pollution emissions including greenhouse gases through a reduction in fossil fuel use for transport, and secondly to ensure that the country’s transport network does not make any further significant encroachments on protected areas and natural habitats. The fisheries and marine policy aims to promote the conservation of indigenous marine life in New Zealand waters and in the open ocean, and to develop a comprehensive network of no-take marine reserves amounting to ten percent of the coastal marine area by the year 2000. The goal of the high country policy is to ensure that the plant communities, natural landscapes and indigenous flora and fauna

of the South Island high country are adequately protected in a comprehensive network of parks, reserves and permanent covenants. The international tropical and temperate forest policy aims to reduce market pressure on the world’s rainforests by promoting controls on the imports of timbers from these forests, to encourage the government to become a leading international advocate for forest protection and conservation, and to ensure that forest conservation and ecologically sustainable development are a priority for New Zealand’s overseas aid programmes in the south Pacific and South-east Asia. The protection of native plants and animals policy contains a detailed list of objectives to improve the level of protection of native species and their habitats. If any members want a copy of the full version of the above policies please write to Lisa Rae at head office. The new policies plus those already adopted will be consolidated soon into a booklet which will be sent to all branches and made available to members.