New Zealand Clean Green Environment - Coursework Example

Topic: New Zealand clean green government English March 28, Topic: New Zealand clean green environment Introduction New Zealand—for Rest and Recreation clubbed with environmental awareness. New Zealand occupies the top slot with the holiday planners. Peter Hillary in his foreword to the book “Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand (Walking) (2006)” writes, “It’s simple really. New Zeeland is one of the world’s most beautiful countries, with superb coastlines and beaches, mountains, rivers and forests. When it comes to outdoor recreation this country is the best. Go on, get out there. Go tramping.”(p.9) Whereas the creation of the most beautiful area on any part of Planet Earth may be an act of God, its maintenance depends on the government and people of that area/country. The people of this country possess a high degree of environmental awareness. Tourist infrastructure is well-planned and many options are available for a tourist. A tramping trip to New Zealand is a popular exercise. Some of the most popular tracks have been constructed in this country. These multi-day tracks are called the Great Walks. Some of them are Milford, Kepler and Heaphy. Most of them are designed one-way. D. O.C. has descriptive pamphlets for every track and they are available for a nominal cost. It provides information about the country hut system prevalent in New Zealand and the tourist can buy yearly pass for a nominal cost. Jim Du Fresne (2006) argues, “New Zealand may be small, but it has a high awareness for protecting its natural environment. One of the leading issues among residents is a return to their native flora and fauna, a huge problem considering how many plants and animals have been introduced into what was a predator-free land.”(p.33)What is amazing and worthy to be emulated about New Zealand is the high sense of awareness of the common man about the challenges about environmental protection, its transformation from agrarian to industrial market economy and integration and biculturalism. Love of New Zealanders for the plant and animal kingdom. The scientists of New Zealand are a greatly worried lot and they warn of mass extinction of native species. With all the steps taken by the Government, biodiversity crisis exists in this country. A bleak picture is seen for native animals and plants and the current conversation funding and strategies are not adequate to meet the stiff challenge. Lifestyle changes of human beings, use of pesticides and other chemicals for increased production of agricultural products affects the plant and animal kingdom and their natural habitats adversely. The approach of focusing large efforts on a few species, such as kiwi or kakapo has been commented by the scientists dealing on the subject. "You wait till theyre at the edge of collapse and then put all this money into saving them. Meanwhile, everything else is falling off the edge of the cliff."(Chugh….) With the pruned budget made available to tackle the challenges in this segment, the Government is losing grip on the situation, as little funding goes in to research and to monitor the changes, the data available with the authorities is faulty, let alone take measures of protection. The process of arriving at the correct picture is long and cumbersome and by the time data is updated, report is recorded and published, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Some of the threatened spices on the verge of extinction are terrestrial mammals, frogs, reptile and native fish species, birds and freshwater invertebrate species and a part of the marine fish species. In all 2788 of native plant and animals species are nearly extinct and that accounts for 35 percent of the plant and animal heritage of New Zealand. "With around 60 per cent of freshwater fish species listed as threatened or extinct, New Zealand is far worse than the global average of around 37 per cent," (Chugh…)the scientists warn and the current plight is only about 200 of the listed endangered species are under monitoring and active management. So the ecologists contend the often repeated government slogan on ‘100% Pure NZ Is ‘Clean and Green’ a fantasy and far from the ground realities obtaining in New Zealand? New Zealand is a beautiful country and the people are open, down to earth and friendly. But this is only one part of the whole truth. The country will fail the acid test on this count. The stunning natural environment is the boon of the nature but its maintenance has been the bane of the government. The scale of justice as for the overall merits of the country tilts precariously and oscillates like the pendulum. There is something vibrant about the people, they are welcoming and hospitable. They are also honest and trustworthy. The quality of the food is good with no worries about food safety. The industrial revolution and the ever-expanding segments of the materialistic civilization have impacted New Zealand and have eroded the ‘clean and green’ image in area like coal mining, panel beating, air travel, dairy farming, diesel transport, mushroom growth of supermarkets, lights powered by coal-fired generators, concrete driveways, modern paints and varnishes that go to brighten the posh houses and multi-storied structures to mention a few of them. Under the conditions, achieving pristine environment is impossibility. With all these unavoidable shortcomings the statement still holds well about New Zealand. "Its one of the best places in the world to live."(O’ Reilly….) But an impartial observer/tourist will have other points to make about the prevailing conditions in this country. Much of the native bush has been chopped down. Instead of the pristine greenery, one finds pine plantations covering long distances. Lawns grow up to the road edge. New Zealand has been “Europeanised” much. The native bush has been decimated by European settlement. But there are historical reasons for this over which the present or for that matter any government will find it difficult to exercise control. Remedial measures have great sociological, political and economic implications. Jeff Williams in his book (2002) “Lonely Planet New Zealand,” argues, “The post-war economic boom saw the greatest change in Maori Society, as Maori migrated to the cities, lured by the promise of jobs. Urban Maori mixed with European as never before as the government pursued the policies of assimilation fashionable at the time. But assimilation ensured the dominance of European culture and though Maori culture survives, particularly in rural areas, Maori progressively lost more of their language and traditions.”(p.22) Economy of New Zealand with particular reference to Import/Export and the changing industrial scenario The estimated GDP of New Zealand for the year 2010 is US $137.723 billion and the estimated annual growth (Sep.2011) is 1.1%. The estimated per capita income for 2010 is $31,067. The labour force estimate is 2.29 million and by occupation its percentage is, agriculture (7%), industry (19%), services (74%).Some of the main industries are textiles, finance, tourism, food processing and machinery and transportation equipment. Exports for the year 2009 were $26.25 billion. Australia is the major importer and other main countries that import goods from New Zealand are United States, Japan and China. The import bill for the same period stood at $24.29 billion. Describing the historical factors relating to the economy of New Zealand Jeff Williams argues, “The post-war years were good to New Zealand, as the world economy was rebuilt and prices for agricultural products were high. New Zealand had one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world and a social welfare system envied by many countries.”(p.21)Currently, its economy is a market economy, much dependent on international trade to the countries mentioned earlier. Agriculture and tourism are the dominant sectors that support the economy of the country. As per the World Bank study this is the most business-friendly country. Sweeping reforms have been introduced since 1984 and with the major economic restructure, the country has moved from an agrarian economy to an industrialised, free market economy which is in a position to compete globally. Elucidating the current trends Tony Mudd et.al write(2008) “Only in the last thirty years has New Zealand came of age and developed a true national self-reliance…partly by the resurgence of Maori identity….More recently, integration has been replaced with a policy of biculturalism—promoting two cultures alongside but with maximum interaction. The uncertainties of the future are further compounded by extensive recent immigration from China, Korea and South Asia.”(p.10) Not so green picture—the negative trends Apart from the economic, all is not well in the sociological front. The youth suicide rate has risen to one of the highest in the world. Increase in violent crimes continues to cause apprehension. Unemployment rate is steadily rising. Soil erosion is one of the massive problems for New Zealand. Tree-plantation on an extensive scale is being carried out. Water quality continues to be poor and a number of lowland rivers have become polluted on account of the reckless expansion of the dairy industry. One of the important positive aspects of New Zealand economy is it is the lowest ranked country on the Transparency International Corruption Perception.(least corrupt.)In the light of the above information given, ‘New Zealand clean green’ has remained just an ideal and unless urgent remedial measures are not taken, it will not be an attainable reality. Clean rivers and lush forests are still there, but they alone cannot contribute to the overall ‘green’ image of the country. References Williams Jeff (Author) Niven, Christine (Author) Turner, Peter (Author) (2002).Lonely Planet New Zealand. New Zealand: Lonely Planet Publications. DuFresne, Jim (2006).Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand (Walking).New Zealand: Lonely Planet Publications. Mudd, Tony (Author) Whitfield, Paul (Author) Harper, Laura (Author) (2008) The Rough Guide to New Zealand 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides). Rough Guides Chug,Kiran.(25 June 2011) Article: Scientist warns of mass extinction - environment | Stuff.co.nz Retrieved from:www.stuff.co.nz/environment/.../Scientist-warns-of-mass-extinction. Phil OReilly, Phil. (29 Dec 2009) Article: Clean and green is a fantasy that sets us ... NZ Herald Retrieved from:www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid... Essay plan 1. Clean and Green New Zealand Link: Peter Hillary in his foreword to the book “Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand (Walking) (2006).” Link: Outdoor recreation—tramping. Evidence: Peter Hillary-p.9 Link: One of the best places in the world to live. Evidence: Article dated 29 Dec 2009-Phil O’ Reilly. 2. The developing economy Link: The Post-war economy; boost to agriculture-Evidence: Jeff Williams-p.21 3. Concern to preserve flora and fauna and protection of animals, soil erosion. Link: Jim Du Fresne(2006) : concern for protection of flora and fauna-p.33. Link: Kiran Chugh-Concern for soil erosion. Evidence: Article dated 25-6-2011 Link: Kiran Chugh-Concern for endangered species. Evidence: Article dated 25-5-2011 4. Assimilation of cultures Link: Assimilation of European and Maori community -Evidence: Jeff Williams-p.22 Link: Integration and biculturalism-Evidence: Tony Mudd-p.10 Conclusions a. In New Zealand rest and recreation are clubbed with environmental awareness. b. New Zealanders and the government take care about plant and animal kingdom, though more efforts are needed in this area. c. ‘Clean and Green’ is an ideal, but ground realities are different. Pollution is on the increase. d. The industrial scenario in New Zealand is changing, but agriculture and tourism re the dominant sectors. The country has moved from an agrarian economy to an industrialised free market economy. e. Negative in sociological front is seen; unemployment rate is rising. Read More