Story: Conservation – a history

Protesters from the Ecology Action Group marched through Wellington in July 1972. They wanted to draw attention to ecological disasters such as the introduction of animal predators, the extinction of native birds, and plans to raise the level of Lake Manapōuri.

There was growing public concern about conservation issues in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ecologist Charles Fleming, writing an editorial for the New Zealand Listener in 1969, argued that the preservation of native forest should have priority over economic development. Download the document to read the article (18 KB).