Scientists, academics question NZ govt environmental credentials

More than 100 of New Zealand's leading scientists and academics Wednesday issued an open letter to the government, warning that cuts to the country's conservation agency could lead to "oblivion" for threatened species and ecosystems. "We wish to register our collective dismay at the current restructuring of the Department of Conservation," said the letter signed by 107 scientific experts, which was released during the 25th International Congress for Conservation Biology 2011 being held in Auckland. The group of conservation biologists and scientists from universities and institutes around the country warned in the letter addressed to Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson that the planned loss of almost 100 jobs over the next six months would seriously erode the Department of Conservation's efforts in conservation management and planning, as many species and ecosystems "teeter on the edge of oblivion." The signatories said the "ongoing reduction in capacity, support and funding for New Zealand conservation" was undermining the work of dedicated, passionate staff whose expertise had saved from extinction unique New Zealand species such as the kakapo, takahe, saddleback and Chatham Island robin. Even during the global economic downturn, New Zealand needed a well-funded Department of Conservation to ensure its "100% Pure New Zealand" branding to attract tourists and sell quality agricultural produce, they said. "This week over 1,300 conservation biologists from more than 75 countries will converge on Auckland for the International Congress on Conservation Biology. "As academics and scientists with intimate links to New Zealand- based conservation management, science and research what will we say when our international colleagues ask about conservation in New Zealand." "We have many good things to tell them because conservationists are, by necessity, a dedicated and determined group of people. But we cannot say that this commitment is reflected by our government and we will doubtless relay our fears for the future of New Zealand conservation." They said conservation management and science should be properly acknowledged as a strategic asset for the wealth of all New Zealanders and funded as such. The letter ended: "Recessions come and go: extinction is forever." "The government prides itself in being responsive to the business community. We hope that they will also respond to the conservation science community," Dr Kevin Parker, of Massey University's Institute of Natural Sciences, who helped organize the letter, said in a statement. Department of Conservation (DOC) director general Al Morrison told Radio New Zealand that the department was not reducing its science spending and the restructure was about efficiency. Morrison said DOC, like all government departments, was always looking at ways to use taxpayer money more effectively. The letter was published the same day as two U.S. academics asked whether New Zealand's clean and green image was actually " greenwash" in a warning that proposals to expand the country's mining industry were economically and environmentally unsustainable. University of Idaho scholars Dr Kenton Bird and Dr Gundars Rudzitis said many foreign tourists to New Zealand were disappointed when they saw evidence of "unsound resource policies. " The pair, who both worked at New Zealand's Waikato University as visiting scholars last year, asked in a statement whether the National Party, which was returned to power in last month's general election, would resurrect proposals to mine in pristine places. The proposals, first raised by the government in late 2009, triggered mass demonstrations with thousands of people joining anti-mining marches last year, prompting the government to back down. Their article published in the international journal, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, posed the question "New Zealand's Green Image: Reality or Greenwash?" "New Zealand projects the image of a country that is '100% pure ' or '100% natural,' due in part to the success of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (20012004), which was filmed in New Zealand. The films show beautiful landscapes that appear to be untouched, with little environmental degradation or destruction of ecosystems. The reality is clearly different," they wrote in the article titled The Myth and Reality of sustainable New Zealand: Mining In A Pristine Land.