Take Care of Your Wetland Environments

By PRICE, Vicki

This article was written by a contributor. It is not to be reproduced without permission from the Taranaki Daily News and charges may be incurred.

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WE all know water is vital to life and in New Zealand, and in Taranaki we are accustomed to having more fresh water than we could possibly want (usually). But worldwide, there is a growing realisation that water cannot be taken for granted and changing the world starts in our own backyards.

On our lifestyle blocks or small farms, you are likely to have a stream or spring somewhere. The regional council has been encouraging people in recent years to riparian plant; that is, to replace the lost native vegetation that these waterways once had and protect them from stock, to help keep the waterways clean.

When the early European settlers came to forge a living from the land, they cleared bush and drained swamps in order to sow grass seed and graze stock. Of the rich and diverse wetlands that once covered about 20% of New Zealand, there are less than 2% left.

Now people have the pastures and are seeing the sense in replanting the waterway edges to increase the value not only for the bank balance when it comes time to sell, but also for the bird, insect and fish life therein.

It isn’t just the streams that need protecting. The swamps act as soaks and help to clean the water as it seeps through on its journey back to the sea. A greater diversity of native birds, fish, insects and plants are to be found in wetlands than any other ecosystem and yet many are threatened species today.

Former Taranaki author Janet Hunt has recently won the 2008 Montana Medal for non-fiction for her book entitled Wetlands of New Zealand: A Bitter-Sweet Story. The judges said in commenting on the award, “When the story told also brings to our attention as a nation something significant that has been overlooked, we really can’t ask for more.”

Wetlands have been our forgotten habitat and lifestylers can help put that right.

The first thing, obviously is to fence waterways off from stock. This is important because it prevents not only trampling and eating of plants, decreasing the soil stability, but also prevents manure fouling the water.

The planting of appropriate species around waterways helps to stabilise the soil and filter pollutants, like the runoff from fertilisers. The Taranaki Regional Council’s riparian planting scheme supplies thousands of native trees at cost to farmers and lifestylers alike to plant around creeks, streams, swamps and basically any tributary that runs into our rivers and lakes.

Conversely, the regional council’s website states that “most land drainage works have little effect on the environment”.

If you are wanting to destroy your wetlands to create more pasture, you do not need a resource consent as long as the area being drained is less than 10 hectares, the wetland is no greater than 5ha, is not regionally significant and doesn’t contain threatened species. The drainage channels must be small and there must be no flooding or significant erosion or adverse effects on aquatic life.

However, the Ministry for the Environment last week released a statement proposing a stronger regime for protecting our water. While acknowledging New Zealand’s water is not a limitless resource, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard said the government “recognises it needs protecting and sustainable management, and that we must step up our actions to stop its degradation in rural and urban areas”.

Replacing riparian forests increases shading to farmland streams, reducing nuisance algal slime growth and increasing biodiversity, the loss of which is considered by the ministry to be the top environmental issue facing New Zealand.

The greatest benefit to indigenous biodiversity is likely to be gained where existing bush fragments are restored and linked together. River channels are natural corridors for the movement of animals between larger patches of bush.

In planting your creek and bog areas, you are making it easier for all sorts of animals and small birds to get around.

The extra vegetation also provides more food for them.

Carex secta emerges as one of the stars of riparian planting. It is a New Zealand native sedge grass that is well equipped to deal with the often extreme conditions on a stream bank. Once established, it helps to slow the flow of the water creating a spawning habitat for small fish, such as whitebait. They also create shade and protection for both other plants and animals in the water.

Carex also has a mop of fine leaves that make a useful nest site for water birds and their drooping habit traps seeds of native species and protects small seedlings. Their collection of fallen leaves and insects helps to provide food for creatures that live in the stream.

They are tough plants that can withstand wet or dry conditions, making them particularly useful, especially when planted close together.

Wetlands can be special places. What better water feature could you ever wish for in your garden? Swallows and fantails flit and swoop, collecting tiny insects on the wing just above the surface of the water. In summer, dragonflies are a pretty distraction as they hover and zoom in geometric fashion around the sedge grasses in pairs or singles.

On your land, they are rich places to enjoy the wilder side of country living. Beautiful they may be, but they’re also dangerous – watch the kids around water, even if it’s shallow. And bogs can be lethal traps.

* Got a lifestyle block story or simply want to get in touch with Vicki Price? You can write to her c/- Features editor Deborah Sloan, 49-65 Currie St, PO Box 444, New Plymouth 4340, or ring the newspaper on 759-0800 ext 8705#, or email tnlfeatures@tnl.co.nz with Vicki Price in the subject line. Please do not be tempted to pick up the phone book – she’s not listed.

(c) 2008 Daily News; New Plymouth, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.