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Definition
for 'biodiversity'
"Biological diversity, or "biodiversity"
for short, describes the variety of all biological life
- plants, animals, fungi and micoorganisms - the genes they
contain and the ecosystems on land or in water where they
live. It is the diversity of life on earth". From
The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, February 2000, Part
1, Page 1. For a more detailed definition see Glossary,
Part 4, page 16. Download the text of the Strategy from
the Department
of Conservation's website.
"The word 'biodiversity' is a contraction
of biological diversity. Diversity is a concept which refers
to the range of variation or differences among some set
of entities; biological diversity thus refers to variety
within the living world. The term 'biodiversity' is indeed
commonly used to describe the number, variety and variability
of living organisms. This very broad usage, embracing many
different parameters, is essentially a synonym of 'Life
on Earth'. [...] It has become a widespread practice to
define biodiversity in terms of genes, species and ecosystems,
corresponding to three fundamental and hierarchically-related
levels of biological organisation".
From the World Conservation Monitoring
Centre
Further details regarding
the definition of 'biodiversity' are available from environment.about.com.
See also Ian Atkinson
Biodiversity: What is it, and why is it important?,
for a detailed presentation of the concept, components and
dimensions of 'biodiversity'. The text of this paper can
be downloaded from the Biodiversity
Strategy website.
What
do we know about New Zealand's biodiversity?
"Of an estimated 80,000 or more native animals, fungi
and plants in New Zealand, only about 30,000 have been formally
described, named and classified by taxonomists (see Table
9.1). Most of the undescribed species are fungi and invertebrate
animals, particularly nematode worms and insects. Several
hundred plants are also undescribed. On the other hand,
it is well known globally that about 20 percent of current
species names are synonyms (that is, different names for
the same species). These uncertainties should be borne in
mind when consulting Table 9.1 which provides a very approximate
estimate of the number of species known and suspected in
each major living group. Apart from the uncertainty surrounding
the number of species and their identities, considerable
uncertainty also surrounds the population status and viability
of many known species. Although much data exists on the
ecology and behaviour of our more visible and endangered
plants and animals, monitoring and research tends to be
sporadic and poorly coordinated for most species and ecosystems".
From The State of New Zealand's Environment,
1997: section The State of our Biodiversity, p. 19. This
document can be downloaded from the Ministry
for the Environment website.
Table 9.1: Indigenous and Introduced Species in New Zealand
(excluding extinct species).
"Present information on New Zealand’s
biodiversity is scattered. Most of our indigenous fungi
and invertebrate animals have not been identified, and the
status of most species is not monitored. Information is
best on vertebrates and vascular plants. Fungi, mosses,
invertebrates, protozoans, algae and bacteria are less well
known". Source: id. above, page 22.
Human
settlement and biodiversity in New Zealand
"New Zealand, one of the last places on earth to he
settled by humans, has one of the worst records of indigenous
biodiversity loss.[...]
As far as we know, in the last 700-800 years, humans and
their accompanying pests have made extinct:
- 32 percent of indigenous land and freshwater birds;
- 18 percent of sea birds;
- three of seven frogs;
- at least 12 invertebrates such as snails and insects;
- one fish, one bat and perhaps three reptiles;
- and possibly 11 plants.
Today, about 1000 of our known animal, plant,
and fungi species are considered threatened. An it is likely
that many presently unknown species are also threatened.
Many populations of these threatened species have disappeared
from areas where they were once found. This pattern of local
loss is the forerunner to species extinction". From
The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, February 2000, Part
1, Page 4. Download the text of the Strategy from the Department
of Conservation's website.
The main pressures
brought by Humans
"The arrival of people brought three main pressures
to bear on New Zealand’s endemic species: human predation
(hunting, fishing and gathering); habitat destruction (deforestation,
wetland drainage, fragmentation and degradation of ecosystems);
and pests and weeds (alien organisms which prey on or compete
with indigenous species or degrade their habitat). These
pressures arrived in two historically distinct waves; the
process started by the first wave (Maori) was accelerated
by the second wave (European)". From
The State of New Zealand's Environment, 1997: section The
State of our Biodiversity, p. 28.
The range of human
impact
"Few areas of unaltered natural environment remain
in New Zealand other than in the alpine extremities. Even
in the most inaccessible forested basins, ecological communities
may differ from their pre-human state. Most areas which
appear natural, and all which do not, bear the evidence
of successive human impacts in soils, sediments and deposits,
in changed flora and fauna, and in artefacts, earthworks,
monuments and constructions". From
Aidan J. Challis (Department of Conservation, Wellington),
in: The Human Parameters of Biodiversity. This paper can
be downloaded from The
Biodiversity Strategy website.
The consequences
of human settlement: some (potentially) positive aspects
"People have had an enormous impact on New Zealand’s
biodiversity, not only taking away but also adding, permanently.
In many ways people are like an ice age: some species can
migrate, others become extinct, populations are fragmented,
refuges are created. But like the ice age, the retreat rekindles
restoration. People open up the landscape and rejuvenate
the processes, like a big flood. People reset the biodiversity
clock. There are new opportunities for migration, adaptation,
evolution.
All of this positive action in the medium
term is possible only if the present decline is stopped.
The concept of biodiversity is new and valuable because
it is broader than the conservation of things. Species are
like beads along the glow worm’s thread; alone they are
useless, but together they serve as a process". From
Philip Simpson (Science and Research Division, Department
of Conservation, Wellington), in: The Consequences of Human
Settlement. This paper can be downloaded from The
Biodiversity Strategy website.
Can
the decline be halted and reversed?
This is the aim and ambition of the New
Zealand Biodiversity Strategy. After extensive preparation
and consultation it was launched by the Government in March
2000.
Who
works to preserve and restore biodiversity in New Zealand?
This is primarily the task of the Department of Conservation.
The Department is the government agency with primary responsibility
for the conservation of New Zealand's unique indigenous
biodiversity. Read
more.
A number of non-governmental organisations
also contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in New
Zealand, through conservation work on flora or fauna species
and ecosystems. Among the main ones:
Who
studies biodiversity in New Zealand?
The Department of Conservation, through its Science
and Research Division
Scientific institutions, in particular:
- Landcare
Research
(Landcare Research is focusing on four
key areas that will lead to more sustainable management
of our resources and assist policy making in New Zealand:
Biodiversity & conservation, Biosecurity & pest management,
Land & water quality, Climate change and greenhouse gases)
- NIWA
(National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research)
- The
Cawthron Institute
(Specialist fields are the aquaculture
of shellfish and seaweeds, biosecurity issues, marine
and freshwater science, and analytical chemistry and microbiology)
Getting
involved
The Department of Conservation runs a
volunteer
programme for those people who want to do something
practical for conservation.
For others, conservation
events offer opportunities to take part in different
activities that are run as part of Arbor Day, Conservation
Week and Sea Week.
Forest & Bird welcomes assistance from private individuals
in a number of ways: find
out more.
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