The council’s latest State of the Environment Report has found that Auckland’s air quality is improving. File photo
Photo: RNZ / Ruth Kuo
Auckland’s air quality is improving, but inland water quality is in decline.
The council’s latest State of the Environment Report has found that, while coastal water is cleaner than it was during the previous report in 2021, lakes, streams and rivers are worse off.
The report said high nutrients, low clarity and invasive species had taken a toll on lakes, while nutrient, metal and faecal contamination had damaged streams and rivers.
Reefs and estuaries were in decline due to sedimentation, marine heatwaves and extreme rainfall.
But looking up, air quality was improving with vehicle pollution on the decline.
Between 2016 and 2023, the council said Auckland’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped by about 9.5 percent.
Meanwhile, indigenous forest and scrubland had grown by more than 5500 hectares since 2018 and native bird and plant populations were growing thanks to pest control efforts.
“This report shows that where we invest and act, we are making a difference,” councillor Richard Hills said in a statement.
“But it also makes it clear that the pressures of growth, land use change and climate change are not going away.”
The council’s lead environmental scientist Dr Megan Carbines said the results were decidedly mixed.
“We’re seeing real gains in some areas, like expanding indigenous forest and improved coastal water quality in places,” she said.
“At the same time, freshwater quality, estuarine health, and soil conditions are showing long-term declines.”
Councillor Hills said he viewed the findings as both a report card and a road map.
“It shows us where we’re getting results, where we’re falling behind, and where Aucklanders need us to focus next,” he said.
“We know what’s at stake, the natural environment that makes our region so special, and we are determined to protect it.”