Challenges and priorities for the new government

Forest and Bird, Issue 305, 1 August 2002, Unnumbered Page (Supplement)

Challenges and priorities for the new government

his issue of Conservation News highlights conservation priorities for the new Government. The Government of 1999-2002 achieved some celebrated conservation outcomes, such as the protection of Timberlands’ forests on the West Coast, but made slow progress in some key areas, such as marine issues. The marine environment must be given a high priority in the next three years. New Zealand still does not have

an effective plan of action for saving seabirds. No new marine reserves have been created since 1999. Several populations of Hector’s dolphin still have no effective protection. The Labour-Alliance Government’s $187 million funding package for implementing the Biodiversity Strategy was welcomed. However, recent research and monitoring has shown that the rate of biodiversity decline — especially birds — is worse

than previously thought. An increase in funding is needed to halt the decline in biodiversity. The creation of Rakiura National Park was warmly welcomed. This new Government needs to ensure tenure review in the South Island high country delivers more for conservation including new national and conservation parks. Tussock grasslands are under-represented in our protected areas network. The development of a Biosecurity Strategy is applauded. The new Government needs to show strong commitment to completing a robust strategy and funding its implementation. A blot on the previous Government’s conservation copybook was the decision to limit public involvement in consent processes under the Resource Management Act. This decision should be revisited. The tourism boom, commercial development and erosion of wildness on conservation lands needs more attention. The review of national parks policy and the new general policy for conservation lands needs to result in stronger controls on tourism.