The Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (FMC) is deeply disappointed by the Fast-Track Panel’s final decision to approve Westpower’s Hydro Scheme in the pristine, largely untouched Waitaha River.

The decision comes just days after FMC, Forest & Bird, Greenpeace NZ, NZ Canyoning Association, Buller Tramping Club, and former Whitewater NZ President Kev England sent a joint open letter to Ministers and the Panel, urging the Panel to decline the application and calling on Ministers to protect the Waitaha.

FMC President, Megan Dimozantos, said the decision is a blow to all recreationalists and New Zealanders who value wild places. “Waitaha is one of the country’s last truly intact wild river gorges. It’s visited by trampers, canyoners, and whitewater paddlers, and it sits on public conservation land.“

FMC made repeated attempts to ensure the Panel received accurate information about the scheme’s recreational effects, including flagging false and misleading content in Westpower’s application. The Panel declined FMC’s request to comment. Read the full press release from FMC.

DOC warns of ‘unprecedented threat’ from proposed gold mine

DOC has warned that a proposed gold mine near Cromwell is an unprecedented threat to wildlife, and Heritage New Zealand fears it will modify or destroy most of the area’s recorded archaeological sites.

Australian company Santana Minerals applied in November for consent to build four open-cast mine pits, which fast-track panel members are expected to approve or decline in October. The company said the mine could employ hundreds of people and be worth $6 billion in export revenue and more than $1 billion in taxes and royalties for New Zealand.

However, DOC estimated as many as 600,000 native lizards could be killed as a result of the project. The Otago Conservation Board warned the tailings storage facility could attract wetland birds to surface water high in toxic cyanide. Fish & Game Otago was also opposed and cautioned the lack of evidence that trout and game birds would be protected from contaminants.

Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor said his group’s independent ecologists had reached similar conclusions. “We’re not opposed to mining, per se, but this mine is the wrong mine in the wrong place and the environmental impacts of it are just completely over the top,” Taylor said. Read more from RNZ.

Disabled kea achieves social dominance with unique technique

Though he lacks the top half of his beak, Bruce the kea has achieved social dominance with an innovative fighting technique. Using his lower mandible as a spear, Bruce has found an advantage.

“A way kea displace other kea is by biting them. Of course, Bruce can’t bite because he doesn’t have the upper mandible, so what he does is he essentially stretches out his neck and jabs with his lower beak, kind of like a spear,” behavioural ecologist Ximena Nelson said.

“He will often twist his neck a little bit, and he targets different body parts than the other kea. You can really see that it’s very effective because the other will spring away when he does this.”

Nelson said Bruce’s signature move was so effective that the other birds were scared to challenge him. Bruce had been enjoying the perks of his position, with first dibs at dinner time. “He completely dominates the feeding platform,” she said.

Bruce was also the only male kea to be preened by the other males and had the lowest level of stress chemicals in his poo, thanks to the lack of challengers. Read the full story from RNZ.

Public easements published online allow greater outdoor access

Access across and into some of the best outdoor areas in the country has become more easily known about,  after hundreds of land parcels showing easements were published by the Outdoor Access Commission. 

Many of the easements have existed legally for decades, but were held only in physical documents and had not previously appeared on any public-facing map. An easement is a right agreed between a landowner and another party to use land for a particular purpose, and is registered against the property’s title.

Some of the easements now searchable include a connection across the Timber trail from DOC land to the road, and Potters Creek Conservation Area, near the Remarkables, which is a popular and accessible spot for tramping, mountain bike riding and horse riding. 300 more easements are in the process of being verified before being published. Outdoor Access Commission is chief executive Dan Wildy. Listen to the full story on Nine to Noon.

Europe’s most unspoilt national parks – ranked

If you’re looking to fully immerse yourself in nature by exploring landscapes barely touched by humans, this ranking might be for you.

It lists Europe’s 75 most unspoilt national parks based on criteria such as the number of protected areas, biodiversity, and the amount of artificial light.

Bulgaria’s Rila National Park, with its 28 protected areas, at 1,400 metres above sea level, tops the list, according to British cycling tour website Love Velo. The main attraction of this park is the Seven Lakes, glacial basins immersed in a dense emerald-green pine forest.

In second place on the list are the mountains of Spain’s Sierra Nevada, which appear to combine African and European landscapes. Its extreme elevation means that in just around a hundred kilometres, you can go from snowy peaks all the way down to the beaches of the Mediterranean.

Slovenia’s Triglav National Park, in third place, attracts water sports fans, as they can raft down the 138-kilometre-long Soča River or wander through the Julian Alps. See the full list.