Watchdog challenges New Zealand gov't on worsening environment

New Zealand's most senior environment watchdog on Wednesday challenged the government to detail its plans to tackle many of the country's worsening environmental problems.

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright issued an official commentary on the state of the environment and found that climate change was the most serious issue.

"When it comes to the state of our ocean, we simply do not know very much. We do, however, know that climate change is by far the most worrying environmental issue," Wright said in the commentary.

"Already, global temperatures are increasing, the surface waters of the ocean are acidifying, and the level of the sea is rising."

She also found that water quality, pests, and erosion were high priorities for action.

Water quality was very good in undeveloped parts of the country, but poor in many catchments, mainly due to the clearance of native bush and increasingly intensive farming.

"Our native plants and animals are in serious trouble with most of our iconic bird species in decline," she said.

The commissioner recommended a formal response from the Secretary for the Environment, detailing how the Ministry for the Environment would deal with the issues raised in her commentary.

"While the government has made efforts to tackle some of these challenging issues, there is still much more we need to do," Wright said in a statement.

"For example, reforesting our eroding hills will keep soil on the land and out of rivers, and help fight climate change," Wright said. Endit