The 'hoiho' (yellow-eyed penguin) is one of the world's rarest penguins. It's an iconic penguin in Aotearoa/New Zealand. And it's in severe danger. Department of Conservation (DOC) data showed the northern population had collapsed by 80 percent since 2008, with some colonies already becoming functionally extinct.
Conservation groups are calling on the government to put an emergency fishing ban in place. The government would be informed by a "scientific multi-threat risk assessment". OK. But the government awarded the tender for the assessment in September 2022 already with diddly squat action. While many things have fast tracked through legislation this year with urgency and attempts to keep things clandestine.
Why am I saying this? Well, my #scouts name is 'Hoiho', so naturally I mentally stumbled upon this piece on the radio this morning.
#conservation#scouting #aotearoa #nz#NewZealand #penguins #extinction