P.M. sees victory in declaration

Press, 23 October 1989, Page 6

P.M. sees victory in declaration

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Kuala Lumpur

Forestry advice to developing countries will be New Zealand’s main tangible contribution to a declaration on the environment agreed by Commonwealth leaders.

The Prime Minister, . Mr Palmer, said yesterday he and his officials had worked hard to have a commitment to reafforestation and forest management included in the Langkawi Declaration.

Mr Palmer left Langkawi, an island resort off Malaysia’s coast, yesterday, returning with other Commonwealth leaders to Kuala Lumpur after their week-end retreat.

He is pleased with the consensus the declaration represents. It includes a stand against drift-net fishing and greater efforts to stop ozone depletion and global warming. British objections had been taken into account in the final draft, of the declaration. Mrs Thatcher was opposed to a Commonwealth fund being set up to help developing countries adopt policies which improve the global environment. Leaders agreed to help developing countries, but through existing institutions such as the United Nations Environment Programme. The declaration committed Commonwealth countries to supporting such efforts as: • Discouragement and restriction of drift-net fishing. • Promotion of reafforestation and forest management. • Reduction and eventual end to the use of substances depleting the ozone layer. • Development of strategies to counter global warming and to adapt to climate change. • Assistance to developing

countries to gain technology which improves the global environment.

Mr Palmer said New Zealand had provided the formula which saw consensus on the funding of environmental protection in developing countries. Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir, whose country is the world’s biggest native-timber exporter, had opened the Commonwealth meeting with a distinct message — developing countries could not impede expansion because the rich nations were concerned about the environment.

But with tropical forests critical to the world’s ecosystem, Mr Palmer said New Zealand had worked hard to get a commitment to reafforestation and foresty management. New Zealand was willing to contribute its forestry expertise to developing nations.

"I think that a lot of the contribution that we can make will be through experts we can make available,” he said. The declaration’s call to have drift-net fishing banned was particularly welcome. Mr Palmer believes this will help expand the push for a South Pacific ban on drift-net fishing to one applying worldwide.

“It means we’ve got a guaranteed 49 votes at the United Nations,” he said. “I really think we’ve got a bandwaggon rolling. “We came looking for a tough statement on the environment and I think we’ve got it.”