I feel I cannot let your 18 June editorial pass without comment. I hope that it does not signal a return to the bad old days, when we had Forest and Bird zealots, mercifully seldom heard now, claiming to be experts on the subject of mangroves and declaring that mangroves were an equal blessing in every location and in every part of the world! By contrast, I and other opponents of these fanatics do not claim to be experts and only speak on behalf of the specific environment that we are familiar with, in my case the Welcome Bay estuary, with which my family has a close and historic association. Our conclusions are based on sound reason and the evidence of our own eyes. So I feel it is important to inform readers that, while your claim that mangroves can provide a barrier to erosion is valid, your other comments about mangroves, when applied to the Welcome Bay estuary, are completely wrong. So I wouldn't worry too much about any editorial criticism if I were Environment BOP Councillor Andrew von Dadelszen, for the Welcome Bay community at least overwhelmingly, if not universally, endorses and welcomes his 11 June comments.
R.Rimmer, Tauranga.