Environmentalists, MP call for protection of endangered snails
Save Happy Valley Coalition Press Release
Sunday 16th April 2006
Save Happy Valley members and Green MP Metiria Turei have spent their Easter Holiday tramping to the Stockton Plateau on
the West Coast to show solidarity with a species of endangered giant land snail which is threatened by the coal mining
activities of state-owned Solid Energy.
Concerned members yesterday climbed 1000m up a steep untracked bush ridge to protest the planned destruction of the tiny
remaining habitat of Powelliphanta "Augustus" on Mt Augustus, and today Metiria Turei will join the occupation against
another planned coal mine in Happy Valley, a few kilometres east of Mt Augustus.
"There are less than 500 of the 'absolutely protected' Powelliphanta "Augustus" snails left anywhere on earth. Chris
Carter's decision to permit SOE Solid Energy to mine the last four hectares of habitat is state-sanctioned species
extinction," said Save Happy Valley Coalition spokesperson, Ms Frances Mountier.
"We will continue to work to ensure that these four hectares are not mined. Four hectares is a tiny area and its
protection will ensure that these ancient taonga are saved for future generations."
MP Metiria Turei has criticized the Minister of Conservation's decision. "Solid Energy's plans here are illustrative of
their disregard for the environment as a whole. They simply reinforce the public's concerns about a mine in Happy
Valley," said Ms Turei.
"In this nationally important valley, the Government is also complicit in the destruction of habitat of kiwi and twelve
other endangered birds and animals. New Zealand needs to be stepping away from fossil fuel extraction in light of the
growing threats posed by climate change. The stunning Happy Valley and the tiny remaining stronghold of Powelliphanta
'Augustus' are great places to make those first steps," said Ms Turei.
Save Happy Valley has welcomed individuals and groups who are working to ensure that these two places are saved. "When
the Minister of Conservation will not protect just four hectares of land from Solid Energy's bulldozers, it is up to all
of us to ensure the survival of our endangered species," said Ms Mountier.
ENDS