8 March 2016

Government proposals on Marine Protection fall woefully short: KASM

The Government’s proposed Marine Protection Act would do more for the mining industry than it would for the actual protection for the marine environment, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining said today.

The West Coast based environmental group questions the intent behind the proposed new legislation and says the Government has “Hit the wrong Key” in the consultation document, for which submissions are open until Friday.

New Zealand has the fifth largest marine estate of any country in the world and the Government’s proposals for marine protection legislation entirely exclude our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which covers 95% of that estate between the twelve and the two hundred nautical mile lines, from any protections whatsoever.

“It’s farcical to propose the creation of laws that do five per cent of the job?” says KASM Chair Phil McCabe.

Just last month researchers working in the EEZ area of the South Taranaki Bight observed nursing mother and calf Pygmy Blue Whales in what is believed to be a very rare and important foraging ground for the species.

“The Government’s proposals as they stand would make it impossible to create important protections for these rare and vulnerable creatures.”

The discussion document also suggests that any area, which has current economic interests, ie. mining or oil and gas exploration permits should also be excluded from the possibility of any protections.

“This also makes no sense and the only conclusion one can come to is that this legislation is designed to protect economic interests and forward this Government’s exploitation agenda rather than to protect marine biodiversity,” said McCabe.

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