Listen: Dams are not the answer to water shortage

Annabeth Cohen is the Forest & Bird fresh water spokeswoman. Photo / Supplied

Forest and Bird Fresh Water spokeswoman Annabeth Cohen has written an opinion piece stating large scale dams and associated water schemes aren't "the panacea many hope they will be."

Cohen writes, "Few (dams) ever deliver on the well-intentioned promise of environmental benefits as farming intensification leads to reduced water quality. Many also fail to deliver on their promise of long-term net economic benefits."

The Country's host, (and self-confessed dam-lover), Jamie Mackay invited Cohen to elaborate on her anti-water storage stance.

Dams are "a crutch," according to Cohen, who says "Building more dams means we become more dependent on water that won't be there in the face of climate change."

Cohen says although Forest and Bird is against intensification of land use, it is not anti-dairy.

"It's not about being anti-dairying, it's about farming with nature, not against it."

Listen below: