By
2100? They must be joking!
I
don't think we need to particularly worry about this (and certainly
not the timeframe). At the very minimum human civilisation will have
crumbled long before that
Ahuriri
Estuary walkway one of most vulnerable to sea level rise in NZ
30
April, 2019
More
than 80 per cent of the walking tracks around the Ahuriri Estuary
could end up under water due to sea level rise.
The
tracks are just one of a number included in a new report from the
Department of Conservation highlighting DoC-maintained tracks which
are at risk from rising sea levels.
The
report states that 2431m of walking tracks around the Estuary are at
risk from sea level rise, which is 80.2 per cent of the tracks in the
area.
It
makes it one of the most at-risk in the country.
DoC
Science Advisor and author of the report Andrew Tait said scientists
predict sea levels are likely to rise between 0.5-1m by 2100,
increasing the risk of coastal flooding.
"High
impact waves could overcome natural and built defences, flooding land
and waterways with seawater and silt for extended periods."
He
said coastal flooding threatens coastal ecosystems and threatened
species, with more than 350 sites where DoC manages ecosystems or
specific species are at risk from sea level rise.
As
well as this, archaeological sites, campgrounds and bridges are all
at risk.
"More
than 400 archaeological sites on public conservation land and 300 of
DoC's coastal assets including campgrounds and bridges are at risk."
There
are nine potentially vulnerable assets at Ahuriri.
He
said managing the effects of climate change is an important part of
DoC's work.
"The
New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement provides DoC with policy
direction on the management of coastal hazards in relation to climate
change."
"The
new risk assessment will help to ensure that mitigating sea level
rise and coastal flooding risk becomes integral to the way DoC does
business."
Cape
Kidnappers is also mentioned in the report. Roughly 2.8 per cent of
the track, or 66m, is at risk.
The
report provides a broad overview for DoC, with the next step being
more detailed work at a regional level.
DoC
will work with Treaty partners and stakeholders such as community
groups and concessionaires to assess risk reduction options and build
them into its planning processes.
For context the Ahuriri Estuary is on Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand
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