A Wakeup Call

New Zealand occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of many conservationists, the Nelson Mail said in an editorial on Thursday.

English botanist David Bellamy is credited with the phrase Moa’s Ark, and it is an apt one. Free of major predator-mammals – including, for all but the last 800 years or so, man – its bird and plant-life enjoyed a rare opportunity to develop virtually unhindered from the time it broke free from Gondwanaland, maybe 80 million years ago.

Our first inhabitants discovered a land rich with extraordinary birdlife, such as the mighty haast eagle and the flightless moa it preyed on. That both have long been extinct adds poignancy to Bellamy’s label.

A range of other species or sub-species found only in this country remain. This includes the podocarp and southern beech forests, tree-ferns and native galaxiid fish, and the pinup birds and animals, such as the kiwi, kakapo, takahe, tuatara and giant snail.

The release this week of a list of 5819 of New Zealand’s native plants and animals is yet another reminder of the vulnerability of the species we are the self-appointed caretakers of.

Around half of the native plants and animals on the list are considered threatened, while another 1000 are regarded as “probably” in danger but not included because of a lack of data.

Sadly, seven species have been declared extinct, including the South Island kokako, which had its last confirmed sighting only four decades ago.

Among those still on the “threatened” list, four improved their rankings a little, while 40 slid backwards. The position then is precarious, and while more funding for the Department of Conservation would help, this is only part of the solution.

The corporate world is playing a part such as with the fight to save the world’s rarest parrot, the kakapo, which slumped to a known population of 50 in 1995.

Under a partnership between DOC, Forest and Bird and aluminium giant Comalco, its numbers have nearly doubled. There is the costly effort to save a rare snail on the West Coast which Solid Energy is carrying out, albeit reluctantly, before mining coal.

Such measures are necessary to mitigate the damage that development often brings to sensitive ecological areas.

Australian academic Dr Tim Flannery, who once described New Zealanders as “inheritors of the most marvellous biodiversity on the planet”, says the most significant threat to other species is human population size and growing demands.

One international example he cites is the increasing need for water, which is pushing towns and cities to tap ever more remote river systems and upsetting delicate natural balances.

Here, the Resource Management Act is one response to this sort of pressure, but it is only partially successful and is under constant attack from the pro-development camp.

New Zealand often capitalises on its clean and green image. As global biodiversity diminishes, eco-tourism will become increasingly important – particularly to Nelson, which has three national parks within its borders.

Activities in Abel Tasman National Park are already estimated to draw in $45 million a year to the Nelson region. Natural initiatives, such as the proposed Brook wildlife sanctuary and others like it, will become vital – for tourism, yes, but especially for their ability to preserve species and habitats in a natural state.

And at a personal level, we can all do more, such as by helping prevent the spread of noxious plants, not dumping noxious chemicals in drains or waterways and generally being considerate of the environment we have been blessed with.

Moa’s Ark is struggling. We can all help to keep it afloat.

(c) 2007 Nelson Mail, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.