7 August 2001
Greens welcome guide for individual conservation

Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today welcomed the launch of the practical guide that will help New Zealanders protect local patches of native plants and ecosystems.

The book "Protecting and Restoring our Natural Heritage - a practical guide" was produced from the Conservation Awareness funding in the Budget, initiated by the Green Party and agreed by the Government.

"A big number of New Zealand's indigenous species are endemic. They can be found only in New Zealand and a lot of them are on private land. People who own native forest would like to protect it, but until now they did not have practical information to help them.

"This is another crucial step in turning around our declining natural heritage by empowering people to do their own conservation," she said.

"It encourages land owners to retain and develop their sense of guardianship over native forests and wildlife habitats; and gives additional recognition and protection to the habitats of species threatened with extinction," said Ms Fitzsimons.

The launch of the guide is a part of Conservation Week celebrations with the theme 'Unique New Zealand - Te Whenua Ahurei'. The week is focused on New Zealand's unique natural and cultural heritage and on the plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world apart from New Zealand.

"The Government has worked with the Green Party to recognize in the Budget the need to involve communities in conservation alongside Department of Conservation. We welcome the guide, and are delighted that we are able to continue translating the Green vision into reality," said Ms Fitzsimons.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>