The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) has serious concerns about the Government’s new Conservation Amendment Bill that would fundamentally shift the purpose of conservation management towards economic development.

“EDS has today written to Conservation Minister Tama Potaka expressing alarm about new clauses directing the Department of Conservation to recognise economic opportunities on public conservation land and enable use and development to the “greatest extent practicable”, says Shay Schlaepfer, EDS’s Chief Operating Officer.

“These clauses appear to have been inserted very late in the process and were not part of engagement on the Bill.

“They represent a significant departure from the current conservation framework, which gives primacy to conservation values. The drafting goes much further than merely enabling limited or compatible development.

“The clauses are inconsistent with the Department’s analysis and Minister Potaka’s stated position that conservation should remain the primary purpose of the system.

“EDS supports limited economic activity on conservation land where it is genuinely consistent with conservation objectives, noting that thousands of concessions already exist for tourism, recreation and infrastructure activities.

“But this Bill introduces broad and undefined economic directives without clear environmental limits or safeguards. The language requiring development to be enabled to the ‘greatest extent practicable’ is completely inappropriate. This could allow for open cast mining on the conservation estate.

“EDS also has concerns about proposed changes to the threshold for the disposal of conservation land.

“The Bill would make it easier to dispose of conservation land by replacing the existing high threshold with a broader and more permissive test. That creates real risks over time, particularly when combined with wider pressures for use and development of the conservation estate.

“On a positive note, the Bill reflects recommendations from EDS’s independent review of the conservation management system around streamlining conservation planning. Those changes are sensible and long overdue.

“Conservation planning reform can improve efficiency without undermining conservation outcomes. The economic provisions go too far and should be amended or removed,” concluded Ms Schlaepfer.

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