12,000 MARCH FOR NATURE: GREENPEACE SAYS CONSERVATION BILL HAS HIT A NERVE
Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman says the turnout of around 12,000 people marching against the Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill demonstrates the strength of opposition among those concerned about the future of Aotearoa’s conservation estate. The March for Nature was held in Auckland on Saturday, bringing together environmental organisations, conservation supporters and members of…
Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr Russel Norman says the turnout of around 12,000 people marching against the Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill demonstrates the strength of opposition among those concerned about the future of Aotearoa’s conservation estate.
The March for Nature was held in Auckland on Saturday, bringing together environmental organisations, conservation supporters and members of the public opposed to changes they fear could expose conservation land to greater commercial activity.
Greenpeace and Forest & Bird, which helped organise the march, say the Conservation Amendment Bill would open public conservation land to greater commercial exploitation and weaken protections for forests, rivers and native wildlife.
Norman says the scale of the demonstration shows conservation remains a major public issue and that thousands of New Zealanders are prepared to mobilise when they believe protected land and indigenous species are at risk.
The Government has presented its conservation reforms as a way of modernising the system and allowing the conservation estate to generate more economic activity while continuing to protect areas with important conservation values.
But opponents fear changing the balance between conservation and economic use could make it easier for activities such as mining, commercial development or other projects to proceed on land currently held for conservation purposes.
For Māori, the debate also intersects with kaitiakitanga, protection of indigenous biodiversity and the relationship between tangata whenua and te taiao.
Greenpeace says the campaign will continue beyond the march, with the organisation also gathering thousands of signatures for its campaign opposing the commercial exploitation or sale of conservation land.
With the election campaign gathering pace, the future of conservation land is now shaping up as another clear dividing line in the debate over how Aotearoa balances economic development with protection of te taiao.
