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One of the world's most famous conservation groups is thanking the New Zealand public for forcing the government's backdown on plans to mine areas of conservation land.
The World Wildlife Fund has welcomed the decision to scrap plans to remove 450,000 hectares from protection under schedule four of the Crown Minerals Act.
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee admitted that the furious public response to proposals covering up to 7,000 hectares in the Coromandel, Great Barrier Island and Paparoa National Park had caused Cabinet to think again.
As part of the government about face, an extra 12,500 hectares of pristine land will be given schedule four protection.
WWF said the result is to the credit of the many thousands of New Zealanders who protested about the mining proposal and "stood up to the government on this critically important issue".
WWF-New Zealand Executive Director Chris Howe said the proposal for mineral prospecting in national parks should never have been on the table in the first place.
He said it has taken an expensive and time consuming consultation process for Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee to grasp what most New Zealanders understand as commonsense - that we should not prospect for minerals on land that has been protected from mineral extraction.
Howe also said WWF has serious concerns about the government proposal to encourage prospecting for minerals in conservation land not protected in schedule four.
Brownlee said public opposition to mining schedule four land was a "clear mandate" for prospecting for minerals in other areas, but Howe said that is "fundamental and deliberate misinterpretation".
"The consultation did not ask about prospecting in the rest of New Zealand, and the public opposition does not imply New Zealanders have given a green light for prospecting in other conservation areas. If anything, it demonstrates the opposite," said Howe.
The areas proposed by the government for mineral prospecting include part of one of only three UNESCO World Heritage Areas in New Zealand - Te Wahipounamu - and the Te Paki Ecological District, an area of significant ecological diversity in Northland.
Te Wahipounamu is the South West New Zealand World Heritage area regarded as one of the world's best examples of a dynamic mountainous landscape, said Howe.
As the least modified region on mainland New Zealand, Te
Wahipounamu is important for the conservation of many animals which
have disappeared from other parts of New Zealand, he said.
"Takahe, South Island brown kiwi and mohua (yellowhead) are just a
few of the endangered or threatened animals which still survive in
this vast wilderness.
"These are significant areas for native species. They should not be put at risk from exploitation by the mining industry if minerals are found under them.
"Mineral extraction is, by its very nature, non-renewable and inevitably damages or destroys habitat and the wildlife that lives there. We, along with our conservation colleagues will continue to challenge the government's agenda to put the short-term, limited economics of mineral prospecting ahead of conservation of our natural heritage."
Reaction mixed
The Labour Party is taunting the government for what it describes as "a humiliating backdown", but the industry doesn't see it that way.
The government is going to undertake an aero magnetic survey of Northland and the South Island West Coast to find areas which have high concentrations of valuable minerals.
The New Zealand Minerals Industry Association (NZMIA) praised the government decisions.
"For more than a decade the NZMIA has advocated such surveys of the entire country, including specifically the Northland and West Coast regions," said chief executive Doug Gordon.
"The resulting information will attract investment in environmentally responsible mineral exploitation."
Gordon said there was the potential for "economy wide growth" because of the linkages between minerals and other sectors.
He cited studies in Northland which had shown 2,700 jobs could be created and a 6% increase in the region's GDP could be achieved.
Gordon didn't have a problem with scrapping plans to mine schedule four land.
"We respect and accept that...it has been an extremely worthwhile exercise and we compliment the Minister of Energy and this government for not continuing to hide New Zealand's mineral light under a bushel."
What do you think of the government's decision? Have your say on our messageboard below.
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentmenacerec said on 2010-07-24 @ 00:53 NZDT: Report abusive post
John needs the boot... not just for this either.
menacerec said on 2010-07-24 @ 00:49 NZDT: Report abusive post
No hawthorne, what National have done is gone back on multiple significant election promises. Their economic policies have already shown to correlate with increases in income inequality. They are increasing our debt in order to give the upper 5% of earners the greatest tax cuts, although 75% of the population is hardly left with enough to live on. They are further cutting the rights of workers in favour of big businesses, their true agenda is quite clear.
irwin said on 2010-07-21 @ 11:05 NZDT: Report abusive post
The protest actions taken by my fellow NZers and the governments decision not to proceed with the mining on DOC land makes me very proud to be a Kiwi. This is democracy at its finest and those people who say the government should never investigated it in the first place have lost the plot. The people have spoken and the government has listened. Great.
ukustarmitch said on 2010-07-21 @ 10:01 NZDT: Report abusive post
HAHAHA this is too funny. How dare they consider destroying our beautiful landscape! National, you did the right thing, but don't expect me to vote for you in next years election
SantaCruz66 said on 2010-07-21 @ 08:54 NZDT: Report abusive post
Simply a matter of matter that Gerry doesn't want to mine what he can't walk around. 50k kiwis marched because Gerry et al missed the point. Good democracy for sure but political ineptitude and appalling stewardship - all Gerry had to do was announce it the conference and he would have been fine :)