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Environmental Rights Reflection Worksheet

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Environmental Rights Reflection Worksheet

Read the scenario and evidence, then answer the questions. Use evidence to explain your reasoning. For reflection questions, there is no single correct personal view; example answers are provided as possible responses.

A stream under pressure

Aotearoa New Zealand town of Kōwhai Glen is deciding how to care for a stream that flows through farmland and a growing neighbourhood before reaching a harbour. The stream supports tuna (longfin eels), insects, native plants and people who swim or gather kai. After heavy rain, sediment and nutrients can wash off bare soil and fields into the water. Residents want clean water and healthy habitats. Farmers need viable businesses, and the council has limited funds. The community is discussing environmental rights and responsibilities: who should have a voice, what evidence is needed, and how to share the work of protecting the stream.

Evidence from three monitoring visits

The community group measured the same site on three occasions. These results are simplified for this activity; they suggest patterns but do not prove what caused them.

Visit

Weather before visit

Water clarity (cm)

Aquatic insect groups found

Dry week

Day after heavy rain

Dry week, three weeks later

Reflect, reason and propose action

Use the scenario and monitoring evidence where relevant. Think about both environmental rights and the responsibilities needed to protect them.

1.Which visit had the lowest water clarity and fewest insect groups? What pattern does this suggest about stream conditions after heavy rain?

2.Give one reason why these three visits are not enough to prove that heavy rain caused the changes in clarity and insect groups.

3.Which statement best describes an environmental right in this scenario?

People should be able to access a healthy environment and have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect it.
Every person must agree on exactly how the stream should be managed.
Only people who own land beside the stream should take part in decisions.
Environmental protection means people can never use natural resources.

4.Name one group that should have a voice in decisions about the stream and explain one responsibility that group could take on.

5.A proposal would plant native vegetation beside part of the stream and keep stock away from the bank. Give one likely ecological benefit and one practical challenge.

6.The council can fund only one action this year. Which option is the strongest first step for making a fair, evidence-informed decision?

Ask only the largest landowner to choose the action.
Collect more stream data and invite affected groups, including mana whenua, residents and farmers, to discuss options.
Stop all access to the stream permanently without discussing alternatives.
Choose the cheapest action without checking whether it helps the stream.

7.Explain one possible trade-off between protecting the stream and meeting people’s needs. Suggest one way the community could reduce that trade-off.

8.True or false: Because clarity and insect numbers improved at Visit 3, the monitoring proves that the stream has fully recovered.

TrueFalse

9.Suggest one measurement the community could collect over the next six months and explain how it would help assess stream health.

10.Choose one realistic action you could take to support a healthy local environment. Explain who might benefit and how you would know whether your action helped.