New Zealand's wildest and most scenic rivers need greater protection from developments such as hydroelectric dams, a report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Commissioner Jan Wright's report, released yesterday, said the scenic Mohikinui River, recently spared from a hydroelectricity project, was still vulnerable to harmful development because it flowed through loosely protected Crown land. Many other rivers were similarly unprotected.
Measures to protect precious free-flowing rivers had dried up because the process was long and costly.
Dr Wright told the Herald the issue involved weighing up two environmental benefits - the carbon-free energy from hydroelectricity schemes, and the ecological value of wild rivers.
"Where such conflicts exist between hydroelectricity and wild and scenic rivers - climate change versus natural heritage - I have concluded that we need to pay more attention to the protection of the rivers," the report said.