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CONSERVATION
The
Conservation, Restoration and Management of Nature and Wildlife in New
Zealand: Issues, Endangered Species and Ecosystems, Organisations and
People involved, Achievements
Photo
courtesy New Zealand Tourism Board |
The
history of conservation in New Zealand
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Major
conservation issues
-
Biodiversity
- Native
forest logging
- The
Hauraki Gulf Marine Park
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"Since New Zealand was first settled our unique plants
and animals have been in retreat, driven back by burgeoning pests
and weeds and the destruction of habitats. Extinctions have been
rapid and the threats, although changing form, have not abated.
Today some 1000 native animal, plant and fungi species are under
threat. The landmark State of the Environment report, published
in 1997, warns that New Zealand's declining state of indigenous
biodiversity is our 'most pervasive environmental problem'".
From
the foreword to the Summary of the Draft
Strategy, New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, by Rt
Hon Jenny Shipley, Prime Minister of New Zealand. |
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The
Department of Conservation
is the central Government organisation charged with conservation.
It manages a third of New Zealand's mainland area, in the form
of national and other parks, reserves, and other Crown Lands.
The majority of conservation work carried out in New Zealand
is done by the Department of Conservation, either directly,
in partnerships, or contracted out to science organisations.
But
non-Government organisations play also an important role in
conservation in New Zealand. Among the most prominent are the
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, the Maruia Society,
The Forest Action Group, Project Crimson Trust.
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Some
of the major current conservation issues and working areas include:
- habitat
protection
- pests
and predator control programmes
- species
recovery plans
- introduction
or reintroduction of species to offshore islands
- mainland
islands
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References:
New
Zealand's Biodiversity Strategy, Our Chance to Turn the Tide - A Summary
of the Draft Strategy. Department of Conservation and Ministry for the
Environment.
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