August 18, 2009 – Wellington

Forest & Bird media release for immediate use

Forest & Bird says Hurunui River protection should go further

Independent conservation organisation Forest & Bird is happy with the Special Tribunal’s recommendation to at least partly protect North Canterbury’s Hurunui River with a Water Conservation Order (WCO).

“Forest & Bird is pleased that important parts of the river – including the main stem and Lake Sumner – have been recognised as nationally outstanding and should get permanent protection from dams,” Forest & Bird South Island Conservation Manager Chris Todd says.

The tribunal said the upper section of the river and Lake Sumner should be protected from any modification. “Lake Sumner currently has a resource consent application to dam it, but the tribunal was unequivocal about the lake’s natural and cultural values and the need to protect it from development,” Mr Todd says. “The dam proposal now looks very unlikely to succeed.

“However, we are disappointed that other stretches of the upper Hurunui would remain unprotected from development.

“If the Environment Minister agrees to the recommendations, the river’s south branch would miss out on protection. This branch contributes the water flows needed to keep the lower river braided and clear of weeds. Endangered black-fronted terns rely on these flows for their survival,” Mr Todd says.

Forest & Bird has not yet decided whether to appeal the WCO recommendations.

ENDS

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