DOC manager retiring
An outgoing Department of Conservation manager thinks people are finally starting to understand to the challenges conservation is facing.
After nearly 50 years in the public sector, 30 of which were with DOC, Te Anau operations manager Greg Lind is retiring.
While Lind started his career working for the New Zealand Forest Service in the North Island he spent most of it working for DOC in the deep south where he has witnessed the rapid growth of tourism.
As the amount of tourists heading into the great outdoors increased the effects were becoming apparent, he said.
Lind worked in places like the Catlins in the late 1980s when it was still considered off the beaten track.
He also worked in Queenstown during the boom of adventure tourism dealing with many companies that were operating on conservation land.
Now there are few places where tourists have not ventured, he said.
Lind believes people are starting to realise the challenges conservation in New Zealand is facing.
The main challenge was to identify where the changes were occurring and to get ahead of them or keep up, he said.
There were some places that needed to be developed to protect the values visitors come to enjoy and other places like Fiordland and Mt Aspiring that needed to be protected from development, he said.
And, he added, some places needed to remain off the track and kept as remote areas.
‘‘That’s been my experience professionally and personally.’’
Lind was heartened that Conservation Minster Eugenie Sage had recognised that we could lose what New Zealanders value the most in our outdoors if plans were not put in place.
In recent years, Lind has started to see Government agencies working together to deal with issues that are arising.
With the $35 border levy being introduced, of which half would go to Conservation, the future was looking hopeful, Lind said.
Lind also believed that 1080 poison was the primary tool the country can use in the battle against predators in our country.
The biggest challenge was to convince people that when used appropriately it was the best solution to the problem, he said.
There was a lot of false information out there spread by people because it did not fit their agenda, Lind said.
Lind finishes on April 1, the same day DOC began in 1987, he said laughing.
He plans on retiring to Cromwell with his wife where he can get involved with a few conservation projects.
. . . there are few places where tourists have not ventured ... Greg Lind, Department of Conservation manager