Botanist Emeritus Prof Sir Alan Mark reflects on New
Zealand's conservation challenges, near his University of
Otago office. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Unless our clean green image is reinforced by stronger
conservation efforts, New Zealand risks being outcompeted by
other attractive tourist destinations such as Norway, leading
environmental scientist Emeritus Prof Sir Alan Mark warns.
"I think we're in danger of losing what has been a very high
reputation for environmental management," he said.
Some northern hemisphere countries such as Norway, with "very
impressive landscapes" and an "impressive record in
environmental management", were already promoting themselves
as positive visitor destinations.
As environmental awareness grew, potential tourists could
perceive such countries as requiring fewer "pollution miles"
to reach via air travel, by comparison with New Zealand, he
said.
Prof Mark (78) said New Zealand's international clean green
image was "a good sales pitch" but many "insufficiencies and
deficiencies" also needed to be addressed.
New Zealand had achieved some important conservation
successes, such as establishing 10 high country conservation
parks, but more work was needed.
Prof Mark, of the University of Otago botany department, was
last year awarded the 2010 Charles Fleming Award for
Environmental Achievement from the Royal Society of New
Zealand.
In announcing the national environmental science award, Royal
Society officials said Prof Mark was "regarded as New
Zealand's leading environmental scientist and
conservationist".
During his long research career, Prof Mark had "explored and
illuminated the ecology of southern ecosystems", including
tussock grasslands and wetlands, society officials said.
As part of the national award, Prof Mark has become the
Charles Fleming Lecturer for 2011 and at Otago University
this week he gave the first of a series of lectures to be
given throughout the country.
The talk focused on "mountain tops to ocean depths" and
considered his "involvement with a range of
ecological/environmental issues, mainly in the south".
Prof Mark, who has also been awarded the society's Hutton
Medal, described a lifetime involvement with "pure and
applied ecological studies" of indigenous upland snow tussock
grasslands, mostly with the Hellaby Indigenous Grasslands
Research Trust.
He said he was concerned about mooted cuts to Government
funding for the Department of Conservation and said New
Zealand could not afford to rest on its laurels if it was to
maintain its positive international image.
Asked about New Zealand promoting itself abroad as "100%
pure", he said more work was needed to improve the water
quality of streams and rivers, and to address water
abstraction issues.
New Zealand's endemic bird populations were in a "very
critical state" and it was a "sad reflection on the rest of
the country" that some endangered New Zealand animals were
fully protected only in small sanctuary areas, such as the
Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin, he said.
Prof Mark has served as a government appointee on several
conservation bodies and is deputy director of the Temperate
Grasslands Conservation Initiative of the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature.
john.gibb@odt.co.nz
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