Conservation

Press, 10 September 1983, Page 16

Conservation

Sir,—Conservationists want to lock up all our West Coast forests in national park, ignoring completely the social consequences to saw l milling communities such as Whataroa and Harihari. Now Mr Guy Salmon (September 7), in reply to my recent letter, criticises the Lands and Survey Department for wishing to convert tussock wasteland into productive developed pastures. In Canterbury, other conservationists are striving to prevent water from major rivers being used for farm irrigation purposes. It appears they will not be satisfied until all the western half of the South Island is locked up in national park, and farms on the eastern side are either left in their undeveloped state or turned into arid wastelands through lack of irrigation. Then the South Island would truly be little more than a playground for people from the North.—Yours, etc., CATH FORD. September 8, 1983.

Sir,—lt is irresponsible of the Victoria State Forest Park Advisory Committee to make decisions which irreversibly alter native forests, and possibly wildlife, when these decisions are based only on verbal information supplied by Forest Service officials, who are unashamedly pro-logging. I stand by my earlier statement that the committee did not read the summary of public submissions, including the D.S.I.R. and Wildlife Service reports, which expressed overwhelming support for the preservation of the forests on the west bank of the. Maruia Valley. The west bank forests represent only a small part of the total area of beech forest zoned for logging in North Westland. Surely it is not too much to ask to protect this area.—Yours, etc., MARK AUSTIN. September 7, 1983.