Miner hits back on threat to snails

Solid Energy has said conservationists cannot claim it has destroyed most of the giant snail population in Stockton - because they didn't know how many there were in the first place.

Environmental manager Mark Pizey said the state-owned enterprise had done all the work on the species' population distribution and size.

He was not aware of any surveys by conservationists, and questioned the basis for their claims.

The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society had said Solid Energy mining at Stockton, in Buller, had already destroyed most of the Powelliphanta "Augustus" population.

Mining of the ridgeline north of Mt Augustus risked the extinction of the recently discovered snail, said the society's field officer, Eugenie Sage.

"The only known population is on a 5ha site on the ridgeline."

Solid Energy had given an undertaking it would not mine the area until it had resolved how to manage the snails.

A Department of Conservation report said mining the site "would cause the first recorded extinction of one of New Zealand's giant land snails since European settlement".

Ms Sage said the Government must prevent mining and transfer the area to the department instead.

DoC said that "not mining the site" was the only way to ensure the Powelliphanta snail survived.

Mr Pizey disagreed, and said the department's Powelliphanta recovery plan included specific reference to relocating snails.

"Solid Energy would envision that given the right management and the right guidance from the department we could achieve a good outcome for the snails."

Mr Pizey said he would be "very surprised" if there were not suitable areas on the plateau to which the snails could be relocated.

- NZPA