‘Significantly’ More Work Needed To Remedy Environment Woes – Fish & Game
Fish & Game says the latest stocktake of the New Zealand environment points to significantly more work being required to improve water quality and reverse wetland loss.
Commenting on the release of the Environment Aotearoa 2022 report today, NZ Fish and Game Council Chair Ray Grubb pointed out that there were positive aspects to the analysis, but also ongoing concerns.
“It is encouraging that the authors have highlighted the important link between environmental health and people’s wellbeing,” Mr Grubb says.
“Fish & Game has long understood the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in the outdoors and has actively been encouraging greater participation in recreational fishing and hunting as a result.”
However, Mr Gubb says the findings for water quality and wetland loss continue to be cause for serious concern.
For example, the report details that 46 per cent of lakes are in poor health, vast lengths of our rivers are adversely impacted by nitrogen and phosphorous inputs, with 17 per cent severely degraded by nutrient pollution.
“These worrying statistics are not new or surprising. They are the legacy of poor policy and woeful water management for far too long.
“The Environment Aotearoa 2022 report sends no clearer message to regional councils that they must make meaningful steps towards implementing the Freshwater National Policy Statement and specifically the primacy it gives to te mana o te wai, which places environmental health of our freshwater resources above economic interests.”
Also “highly concerning” for Fish & Game is the ongoing loss of wetlands, with the report finding that a further 1498 hectares of these threatened ecosystems were drained between 2012 and 2018.
“New Zealand has already lost 90 per cent of its original wetland cover. To see that the decline has been allowed to continue, in this day and age, is a disgrace.”
Wetlands play a vital role in the hydrological cycle, including mitigating floods, and they provide habitat for numerous native and valued introduced species of animals and plants.
Across the country Fish & Game is at the forefront of assisting landowners create and improve wetlands, and a portion of each duck hunting licence sold is also targeted directly at wetland conservation efforts. No other agency does more in this space.
“Despite the great work by our staff and some environmentally-minded landowners, we can’t stem the tide of wetland loss when regional councils are still allowing these ecosystems to be drained or are actively putting in roadblocks to creating more habitat.
“Central and local government must take this report card and take a good hard look at where we are going with water quality and wetland management.”
The report was released by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Statistics NZ. It has previously been compiled every three years but will now be conducted on a six-year cycle.
Categories
Archive
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- December 2013
- March 2013
- September 2012
- July 2012