The Department of Conservation (DOC) today announced its Nature Prospectus, which includes working with the New Zealand Nature Fund on a pilot programme to save some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most critically endangered species and habitats from extinction.
The New Zealand Nature Fund will raise and manage funds for three initial projects.
“It’s no secret that DOC has been chronically underfunded for decades by successive governments. But the situation is now clearly desperate if DOC is having to resort to outsourcing core conservation work to philanthropy, corporates and private citizens,” says WWF-New Zealand CEO Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb.
“Everybody has a role to play in conservation efforts and many hands make light work but this is nonetheless the New Zealand Government abandoning its core responsibility to properly invest and care for Aotearoa’s most critically important asset: the health and resilience of nature.”
WWF-New Zealand’s recent Nature Positive Aotearoa report shows that investment in nature needs to increase by approximately 6.5 times the current spend - or $22.5 billion per year – if we are to meet key targets under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
“The time for investment is now, as the next five years are crucial if we are to halt and reverse the sustained decline in biodiversity we are seeing in Aotearoa and globally.”
At a time when the Government should be doubling down on investing in nature, they have slashed funding for the environment through significant cuts in Budget 2024 - with more claw-backs on the horizon.
“DOC manages one third of the country and all our native species on less than 1 percent of New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). DOC has never been adequately funded to do the work it is charged with - and this is both astonishing and irresponsible, frankly, given that our economy - primary industries and tourism particularly - are so heavily reliant on nature.
“Wealthy private citizens and well-meaning philanthropists will be picking up core services that the Government itself should be funding. We have a message for the Government: outsourcing is not investing.”