Keep coal in the ground An Australian coal mining firm is looking to mine a geologically rare plateau on the West Coast that is home to great spotted kiwi, green geckos and large carnivorous snails. This is one of our most unique pieces of conservation land – one filled with boulder-fields, dotted with wetlands and forested with bonsai rata & pygmy pine. In July, Forest & Bird spoke up to protect Denniston Plateau from mining at a resource consent hearing and we are awaiting a decision by the commissioner. We want to see this geologically precious area turned into a reserve so it is safe from mining. Join us in our fight to protect this geological wonderland! >>> If you would like to join our activists list, see here.
>>> To find out more about Denniston, see here  Picture: Denniston Plateau, Craig Potton | | DOC haemorrhaging jobs The knife has again been taken to the Department of Conservation, with about 100 staff losing their jobs later this year. Meanwhile, the government is doubling the number of people in the Ministry of Economic Development’s unit aimed at expanding the oil and minerals industries. “Boosting jobs in these extractive sectors and simultaneously slimming down the role of our environmental guardians will no doubt spell bad news for the wild places that New Zealanders hold dear,” Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Nicola Vallance said. The latest round of cuts to DOC’s 1800 staff is part of a $13.5m-a-year budget cut imposed by the government. >> More Picture: A strong DOC is critical to the clean, green image we sell to the world. Lake Matiri, Debs Martin | | Forest saviour The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright, has called for greater use of 1080 to save our imperilled species. The report stressed the fact that we don’t have the luxury of time to restore our forests and 1080 offered the only cost-effective way to stave off forest collapse and turn around the fate of our threatened species. Currently, only 12% of the conservation estate is protected by 1080. >> More Picture: Whio numbers have been shown to bounce back after a 1080 drop. Jordan Kappely. | | Deep trouble Freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy kicked off Forest & Bird’s Freshwater for Life conference with a rousing speech that ended with the words ‘you may have guessed I am angry’. The ecologist – who won a Forest & Bird Old Blue award –was recently pulled into an international scuffle with the Prime Minister over the fallacy of New Zealand’s clean, green image. He said the fact that half of our native freshwater fish are listed as threatened is a red flag that our freshwater is in dire straits. Forest & Bird’s Freshwater for Life campaign focuses on the need to improve the water quality of our lowland rivers, protect our wetlands, save our wild rivers from hydro-dams and make sure our freshwater fish, eels, birds and other animals have a future. To find out more about our campaign, click here >> Donate to our Freshwater for Life appeal
Picture: Mangarakau River, Jordan Kappely | | Buy a plot, save a river The final stage of our three-year battle to save the Mokihinui River from an 85-metre-high dam will be played out over the next year as we head into court to save this wildlife & white-water stronghold. In June next year, we’ll be fronting up at the Environment Court against Meridian Energy’s 50-strong team of expert witnesses. We need your help to present the strongest case possible. So far over 70 kayakers, trampers, school students, businesses and conservationists have pledged their support by buying a shareholding certificate and virtual plot. Show your support by picking up one of the last of these prized plots. Picture: The Mokihinui River, Ian Trafford | | New wave Last month at our Freshwater for Life conference, Forest & Bird elected a new President: former Deputy President Andrew Cutler. Andrew has pushed for Wellington’s only marine reserve; led a number of projects at Wellington’s wildlife sanctuary Zealandia and undertaken several studies on cat predation. He spells out his vision for Forest & Bird here At the conference, we also celebrated the work of our tireless planters and pest-busters. The North Shore branch picked up the Golden Spade award for giving Tuff Crater a forested skirt, and the volunteers working around Pelorus Bridge in Marlborough earned the Pestbusters award for protecting our critically endangered long-tailed bat. Picture: Forest & Bird's new president Andrew Cutler on Campbell Island. | | International outcry at seabird policy New Zealand’s policy towards seabird by-catch has drawn international criticism after a toothless draft policy report was released by the Ministry of Fisheries. A report for the Ministry of Fisheries suggests 22,200 to 40,900 seabirds are killed annually in fisheries within New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In June, 50 seabird biologists, including many from BirdLife Partners in the Pacific region and beyond, wrote to New Zealand’s Fisheries Minister, Phil Heatley, asking him to reduce by-catch levels. New Zealand is rich with seabirds – with 84 species (more than 25% of the world’s total) breeding here. Twenty three of the seabird species breeding in New Zealand are currently listed by the IUCN as threatened with extinction. >>More
Picture: Southern Royal Albatross, Craig McKenzie | | Blog: dung beetles, native nosegays and zoos to the rescue Happy Feet’s surprise visit to our shores has left a few questions knocking around our heads – namely, what role should our zoos play in conservation? Ex-Wellington zoo staffer Stephanie Gray has tackled this question in a blog which focuses on Auckland Zoo's new native wildlife enclosure. As this zoo prepares to introduce longfin eels, short-tailed bats and morepork to its enclosures, there’s another quite different creature being unleashed onto our farms: 11 exotic dung beetles. In my blog – unfinished business – I ask: will they clean up our dung problem or create more headaches? Let’s hope not. Moving from nosepegs to nosegays, ethno-botanist Sue Scheele takes us back in time to when early Maori trotted botanical perfumes up and down the country. Happy reading! - Mandy
PIcture: Copris hispanus hispanus - one of the dung beetles due to arrive on our shores soon to clean up our bovine sewage problem. | | | | | | | | | Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Forward this e-mail to up to 5 friends at once. | Subscribe Did someone forward eNews to you? If you would like to receive it on a regular basis, please sign up here. | | |
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