Kriton Arsenis’ Post

Cabinet has approved the introduction of the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill, which had its first reading in the House under urgency today. The Fast Track Approvals Bill was introduced into the House today and will shortly go to the Select Committee for public submission. Here is what we know: - The purpose of the Bill will be to facilitate projects with significant regional or national benefits. - It will be a one-stop-shop for certain authorisations under the RMA, Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012, Wildlife Act 1953, Freshwater Fisheries Regulations 1983, Conservation Act 1987, Reserves Act 1977, Crown Minerals Act 1991 (for access), Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, Public Works Act 1981, Fisheries Act 1996. - Projects will either be listed in the Bill or referred to an expert panel by Ministers. - Ministers will make decisions on projects, after recommendations by an expert panel. For the full article outlining this process and implications, click here: https://www.al.nz/17353-2/ If you have any questions about the Fast Track Approvals Bill, or would like help to make a submission, please contact our specialist Resource Management team. #andersonlloyd #environment #consenting

Interesting article

BREAKING: Iceland’s Government yet again fails to pull the plug on country’s shameful rogue whaling Iceland’s ageing whaling fleet is set to resume its slaughter this summer after the Government issued a new licence to hunt threatened fin whales. The decision — announced today (11 June) by Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Food, Fisheries and Agriculture — follows months of speculation after last year’s hunting season was significantly curtailed due to significant welfare concerns. The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which has long exposed the scope and cruelty of the hunts, condemned the move. EIA Senior Ocean Advisor Clare Perry said: “The Minister had an opportunity here to unambiguously relegate Iceland’s whaling to the history books for good and abide by international law, but has regrettably failed to do so. “It’s an incomprehensible decision for a supposedly progressive country to take — there is zero economic justification for Iceland’s whaling, even less with Japan’s announcement today that it will add expand its domestic hunt to fin whales. This will badly tarnish Iceland’s international image” ... 🐋 Get the full story at https://lnkd.in/ecP3dsYx #Iceland #whales #whaling

Cool Earth will continue to back Indigenous organisations in Peru calling to repeal the controversial modifications to the Forestry and Wildlife Law recently approved by the Peruvian Congress. The changes approved will endanger 800,000 hectares of the Amazon, encouraging deforestation and the expansion of illegal activities. This law is one more step in the wrong direction. In Peru, and anywhere in the world, there should be no legal justification for violating Indigenous rights and destroying nature. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eCUcx-cE

The #NatureRestorationLaw is in its final stage of negotiations - yet it is hard to know how implementable it will be for marine ecosystems. Ecosystem restoration at sea is impossible unless fishing activities are adequately managed, and policymakers include a strong link between the Nature Restoration Law and the Common Fisheries Policy in the final text! You can read more in below (also including great section titles such as "Bye bye Porpoises?", which maybe could be turned into a song) https://lnkd.in/eNqSDiEE

“Sterilised” ☠️🐟 On Sunday, May 9, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) were alerted to a major fish kill on the River Alllow, in north Cork. The river, which flows into the Blackwater, runs through a zone which is classified as an SAC (special area of conservation) near Freemount. Initial counts put the number of dead fish at around 5,000. According to IFI, among the species of fish discovered dead include juvenile Atlantic salmon, brown trout, lamprey, eel, stone loach, roach, and dace. This river also hosts rare and endangered and protected species like the white clawed Cray fish, fresh water pearl mussels and otters. 🦦 An IFI director told RTÉ that the river was effectively “sterilised”, for roughly about 4km or 5km. He also told the broadcaster that the IFI had a fairly good idea of the cause. As well as the IFI’s investigation, Uisce Éireann Irish Water which has a water-treatment plant in Freemount near the Allow, told RTÉ News, that it is investigating a reported spillage at the plant. How can such negligence be allowed to happen, with such dangerous chemicals ending up in our rivers? 🙈 Let us know your thoughts below. 👇 📸 Clay Knight on @unsplash #cork #river #pollution #environmentaldisaster #conservation #protectourrivers #sustainablewatermanagement #ireland #environment #ngo #news

$2.0 million. A landmark sentencing under the Migratory Birds Convention Act (MBCA) and the Fisheries Act. This underscores the importance of protecting the avian population. With partners, the enforcement efforts continue to safeguard our biodiversity for nature and humans. Read more : https://ow.ly/wXXT50Rpynz Strong and effective enforcement of Canada’s environmental and wildlife protection laws is one of the concrete ways Environment and Climate Change Canada delivers on the commitment to provide clean air and water, and protect and conserve wildlife species and their habitat. #enforcement #wildlife

💥 African Penguin populations are declining by 8% annually, putting them on track for extinction in the wild by 2035. 💪 However, the Biodiversity Law Centre and its clients, BirdLife South Africa and Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) are here to help! 🌿 I have been given the amazing opportunity to intern with these dedicated lawyers in August as they work to protect the African Penguin from extinction. 📍 Their case, filed in mid-March against the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, challenges a decision made on closures to fishing around key African Penguin breeding colonies as inadequate, biologically meaningless, irrational and unlawful. 📍 These key breeding colonies are: ▶️ Dassen Island ▶️ Robben Island ▶️ Stony Point ▶️ Dyer Island ▶️ St. Crioux Island ▶️ Bird Island  🌿 I look forward to contributing (even in a very small way) to this significant case that could potentially set a precedent to enforce the South African government’s obligation to protect endangered species and solidify the role of science-based decision-making in environmental protection and conservation. 👇 Check out the link in the comments below for more information about this case. #SaveTheAfricanPenguin #AfricanPenguinCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #OceanConservation #ProtectOurOceans #EnvironmentalLaw #ConservationLawsuit #GovernmentAccountability

🌿NSW's Bulga Forest is a haven for wildlife like koalas, spotted tail quolls, greater gliders, and 76 other threatened species. Shockingly, the NSW government gave its Forestry Corporation the green light to decimate it.🚧💔 Local champions like Save Bulga Forest, NSW Conservation Council, and The Wilderness Society Australia helped hit pause on the destruction – but the threat looms. 🤔Why? Here's the kicker: native forest logging, covered by Regional Forest Agreements, gets a free pass from our EPBC Act. No checks, no approvals – just a green light for potential environmental havoc. Our national environment laws are failing our precious wildlife.  But right now in the halls of Parliament, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reform them. 🎉 💪 Tanya Plibersek & Anthony Albanese, this is the moment. Let’s get it right this time. Learn more and help us take action. 👇 https://acf.to/48hN27d #auspol

In Indonesia, the popularity of a species that is endangered significantly determines the judge's consideration in determining the weight of the punishment. For example, tigers, rhinos, or elephants receive high attention during judicial process. However, these species that are popular in the eyes of the public (and judges) are only a small fraction of the less popular species that are endangered (less than 5% from a total of 904 protected animals and plants). The laws in Indonesia to date still generalize the category of wildlife protection, which is only two categories: protected and not protected, where this categorization cannot accommodate which protected species need more attention. Finally, protected species that are not popular (not well-known) have weaker law enforcement efforts (prosecutions and verdicts). In training judges to obtain certification as environmental judges, which has just been completed last October 2023, I advise judges to also look at the conservation status according to the IUCN and the international trade status (CITES). This is simple but important. This will assist judges in more accurately knowing the critical conservation status of a species, thus influencing the judges' perspective in sentencing the perpetrator.