New Zealand: Community groups propose designating 8.8.% of Westland's coastal waters as marine reserves
A forum of community groups, including fishing and environmental interests, has proposed putting 8.8% of Westland's coastal waters into marine protected areas to help biodiversity in the region.
The national biodiversity strategy set a target of having 10% of the nation's marine environment protected by 2010.
Five years of work went into the report from the West Coast Marine Protection Forum, which recommended the government look at offering compensation to commercial fishers who claimed they would lose access to fishing areas which were given protection.
A lack of compensation for commercial fishing interests which might claim loss of access for fishing led to split recommendations, because the fishers complained they would otherwise be "giving with no gains".