Have you ever been to New Zealand? To many, it is considered as nature's paradise with its majestic sceneries and its overwhelming beauty. There is no doubt why people would consider it their dream paradise. However, a recent study released its report and it painted New Zealand in a whole new light.
Biodiversity loss, destructive increase in dairy farming and polluted waterways -- all of these were revealed in the report and its nothing less than a catastrophe in the making. Environment Aotearoa is the environmental report that contained such saddening details about this paradise. It is the first major one released in four years. The data used in the report considered the ones compiled by the Environmental Ministry and Statistics New Zealand.
It presents what can be a very sobering summary of the environmental status of the country, with a remarkable difference from the pristine landscape that is painted whenever the country is referred to the "Pure New Zealand." This campaign lures thousands of tourists each year, bringing with them happy memories close to their dream home.
The study shows that New Zealand can now be considered the most invaded in the countries of the world. In fact, after human settlement, more than 75 plant and animal species have been considered extinct. The once vibrant ecology that the birds enjoy is now threatened. More than 90% of the seabirds and 80% of the shorebirds are at risk for extinction. The scale of what New Zealand has lost has become particularly difficult because the government has only identified and recorded 20% of the total species living in the area.
"New Zealand is losing ecosystems and species faster than any other nearby country," said Kevin Hague, a spokesperson from Forest and Bird, a conservation group. He also said that such damages to the environment of New Zealand are due to "years of denial and procrastination."
"Four thousand of the natural species in the country as in trouble. The rampant conversions in the dairy industry to seabed trawling that has been nothing but destructive. We have been doing harm to our natural world and all of these are irreversible," he added.
David Parker, the environment minister of New Zealand says that "the results of the study are not surprising." However, he emphasized that it is important to direct our attention to cleaning the waterways and to neutralize carbon emissions by 2050.
"If New Zealand cannot fight these environmental problems despite all the opportunities coming our way, then none of the countries in the world would be able to," Parker said.
"People must not waste more time changing their ways," he said. "Rather, we should work on an economy that helps nourish and nurture the environment. If no one trashes it, then no one will have to clean up after."
