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December 20, 2022
Wetland inaction irks conservationists
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On December 20, 2022
Download AudioForest and Bird says the Government is back-tracking on promises to strengthen protection of wetlands.
Fresh water advocate Tom Kay says stronger rules we introduced in 2020, but they’ve already been weakened with exceptions that allow landfills, water storage, urban development and even the expansion of existing coal mines.
He says with only 10 percent of the orginal wetland area remaining, the focus should be on restoration.
“These places are vital to help us address climate change but also for fish, iunsects, inanga, tuna, birds that we love in Aotearoa, mahinga kai, recreation and value in urban environments even, so we need to be planning restoration and really drawing a line in the sand put these back, not to introduce pathways to get rid of them,” Mr Kay says.
He says there is a strong input into restoration projects from iwi and hapū, such as Ngāti Kahungunu’s work in central Hawke’s bay.
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