Greens put pests, fish and foreigners in the firing line

Proposed crackdowns on pests, commercial fishing and prospective foreign land owners are included in the Green Party's conservation policy, launched yesterday.

Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said the party's policy aimed to widen successive governments' narrow focus on economic growth.

"For too long successive governments have paid lip-service to conservation issues in favour of efforts to boost the economy."

She said energy generation and agricultural development were destroying wetlands and rivers, and fishing companies were accidentally killing thousands of seabirds every year.

Most Greens' policies were designed to protect the environment, but its conservation policy specifically included:

* More funding for ground-based pest control.

* Tighter biosecurity to prevent new pests entering the country.

* No land sales to foreigners unless they are living in New Zealand for six months a year.

* Near-zero by-catch limits for threatened birds and mammals in commercial fisheries.

* A review of fishing techniques such as bottom trawling and long-lining.

* A public access commissioner to negotiate access across private land to public conservation areas.

Ms Fitzsimons said more ground-based pest control would eliminate pests and reduce conflict over aerial poisoning campaigns.

Setting the by-catch limit to near zero for threatened species would encourage fishing companies to prevent their death.

The policy was launched at conservation group Forest and Bird's annual meeting.

- NZPA