Conservation advocates are welcoming the Government’s decision to remove controversial provisions allowing the sale and disposal of Department of Conservation land, but say the move does not go far enough and are now calling for the entire Conservation Amendment Bill to be abandoned.
Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki says Conservation Minister Tama Potaka’s decision to reverse course on the land sale provisions is a significant victory for public pressure and community campaigning. However, the group argues the remaining provisions of the bill still weaken long-standing protections for public conservation land and could make it easier for commercial interests to gain access to protected areas.
The original proposal attracted widespread criticism from environmental organisations, iwi, conservation groups and members of the public, who warned it represented one of the most significant threats to conservation land in decades. Critics argued that allowing the sale or disposal of public conservation land would undermine the purpose of the conservation estate and create a dangerous precedent for future governments.
While the Government has now removed those clauses, Coromandel Watchdog says other aspects of the legislation continue to favour development over environmental protection. The organisation believes the bill still reduces safeguards and weakens public oversight of decisions affecting nationally significant conservation areas.
The debate comes amid growing public concern over mining proposals on conservation land and wider reforms affecting the management of New Zealand’s natural environment. Environmental groups say recent polling and public submissions demonstrate strong support for maintaining existing protections and ensuring conservation land remains in public ownership for future generations.
Coromandel Watchdog is urging the Government to withdraw the bill altogether and begin fresh consultation on any future conservation reforms, arguing that changes to public conservation land should strengthen, rather than weaken, environmental protections.
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