We Are Losing Our Estuaries!
The Southland Times published an excellent editorial last week in support of our estuaries:
In 2012 Eugenie Sage joined me in highlighting the degradation of our local estuaries after recent research revealed the enormity of the problem.
I wrote a letter in support of the editorial because this is something we can't ignore and the price of providing China with milk powder shouldn't include our most important ecosystems:
"Breathing estuaries aren't nice-to-have things.
More than just an indicator of how we're doing environmentally they're really
important ecosystems in themselves. Ask the fishing industry.
"We seriously need to turn the figures around.
And we haven't. That is scary."
In 2011 the Southland Times made water quality the foremost election issue and over the last three years things have probably got worse. This National led Government has possibly overseen one of the most environmentally degrading periods that this country has ever seen. It has cleverly limited the extent of the damage through blocking any independent public reporting.In 2012 Eugenie Sage joined me in highlighting the degradation of our local estuaries after recent research revealed the enormity of the problem.
I wrote a letter in support of the editorial because this is something we can't ignore and the price of providing China with milk powder shouldn't include our most important ecosystems:
I appreciated the editorial (June 20) ‘Time for
action to
save our Estuaries’. In 2011 The Southland Times made water
quality the most
important issue of the local campaign due to the wide spread
concern about the
quality of our rivers.
After research was published in 2012 we
discovered that our
estuaries are eutrophying at frightening rate. This is concerning
not only
because we are losing important natural habitats, but estuaries
are also the
nurseries for many of our commercial fish.
The National led Government has no intention of
doing
anything substantial in addressing our shocking water quality
statistics when
bottom lines only require that quality shouldn’t get any worse and that rivers should be safe to wade in without
endangering
health (90% are polluted now).
The $20 million over four years to help improve
water
quality is only a token gesture when the Government has set aside
$400 million
to support the intensification of dairy farming.
The Government also stopped the five yearly
independent
environment reports (the last was in 2007) and has dictated that
any future
reporting will be done under their direction. It is clear that
they do not want
the truth to be known.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan
Wright, has voiced
concern about the on going weakening of environmental reporting
and the poor
regulation of damaging industries.
Environmental degradation should not be seen as
acceptable collateral
damage in support of economic growth. We desperately need to shift
to an honest
economy that recognises the external costs of polluting industries
and build a cleaner future.
Yours sincerely
Dave Kennedy
Green Party Candidate for Invercargill
Comments
Historically we treated them like swamps and wetlands, just useless environments to dump waste into or to try and reclaim. We now know that they are amongst our richest natural habitats and highly important breeding grounds for many fish and birds. Estuaries provide ecosystem services that have huge natural and economic value: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/estuaries03_ecosystem.html
Who are "us", Shane?
Do you propose joint ownership of the estuary?
If so, hasn't Dave already said the "we"/"us" already own it?
Estuaries are like the sea, air or our National Parks, they can never really be 'owned' but are essential to maintain for ourselves or the world at large. If we looked at the environmental services they provide they should be very expensive anyway.