Eyrewell forest situated 60 km north of Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand. 7,000 ha pine forest currently being cut down and converted to land for dairy production.
Agriculture accounts for 49 per cent of New Zealand's total greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1990 emissions have increased by 15 per cent and the dairy sector is responsible for this entire increase.
These emissions are set to climb, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) estimate that 455,000 hectares of forestry land is at risk of being deforested and converted into pastoral use, the majority for dairying.
Greenpeace is calling on the NZ Government and all political parties to bring the agricultural industry into the Emissions Trading Scheme within the next two years, take regulatory action to halt the dairy expansion, and adopt a 30 per cent by 2020 emissions reduction target.