At the country shivers during winter’s first real cold snap, conservationists and mountaineers have gathered at Aoraki/Mt Cook to discuss protecting mountains for future generations to enjoy.
The Sustainable Summits Conference, hosted by the New Zealand Alpine Club, follows on from an international conference held in Colorado, USA in 2014.
The conference has a strong conservation theme, and is supported by the Department of Conservation, with three themes: environmental impact, natural hazards and social values.
Several media outlets have covered aspects of the conference:
The Press: New Zealand’s large, fragile mountains face twin threats
The Otago Daily Times: Tough at the top
The Timaru Herald: Mt Cook conference to help reduce user impact on NZ’s mountains
The Otago Daily Times: Changing landscape
The Press: Editorial: How do we sustain tourism in our mountains?
The Press: Quick retreat of New Zealand’s glaciers an issue for tourism
The Press: Climate change hikes avalanche risk for Mt Cook
The Press: Overcrowding a growing issue in New Zealand’s national parks