New Zealand is being marketed again as the picturesque Middle Earth by its government’s tourism arm as it prepares to host the premiere of the movie “The Hobbit.” But critics said the movie world is different from reality. In an international study measuring countries’ loss of native vegetation, native habitat, and endangered species, New Zealand had ranked 18th worst out of 189 nations when it comes to biodiversity conservation. Mike Joy, a senior lecturer in environmental science at Massey University in Palmerston North, said for a country that claims to be a pristine landscape, New Zealand is failing at many international environmental benchmarks.
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