31st May, 2012
Wild rivers need better protection – Environment Commissioner
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright is calling for greater protection for New Zealand’s wild
and scenic rivers.
The call comes with the release of Dr Wright’s latest report: Hydroelectricity or wild river? Climate change versus natural heritage.
“Many of our wild and scenic rivers are extremely beautiful but have little protection, especially from hydroelectric
development.
“Of course hydropower is also extremely important – it’s a low carbon form of energy generation and that’s very
important for the fight against climate change.
“There needs to be a strategic approach to identifying wild rivers in New Zealand and applying real protections to them.
We need to be clear about which rivers are available for development and which rivers we need to protect.”
A copy of the report is available here
Jan talks about the report on youtube here
ENDS