There's a lot of slash anger about. It's directed at forestry companies and the regulators that allow them to leave behind large quantities of tree trimmings, which are washed down rivers to the coast during severe weather events, causing devastation.
Forestry has been described as the only sector that gets to internalise the benefit and socialise the cost. But that tactic underlies the profitability of several sectors. One externalised cost that's rife is freshwater pollution. It harms the water's occupants native freshwater fish, insects, kakahi (mussels) and kōura (crayfish) - mostly slowly, but sometimes catastrophically.
When land is cloaked with trees, even pine, waterways are largely protected. But when trees are fertilised, and during harvest and for a few years afterwards, waterways can receive harmful runoff. Agriculture inflicts the same problems on many more waterways. Urban runoff is also an intense polluter, although fewer waterways are affected.
This story is from the April 15-21 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the April 15-21 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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