Conservation and the Future

The above water environment in Fiordland has been badly impacted by human introductions. Until deer were brought under control they used to crop back seedling regrowth while the Australian brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula damaged the canopy. The possum feeds preferentially on trees such as the Southern rata and may kill them, thereby changing the forest structure.

Nearer to the ground stoats, weasels, rats and cats take a heavy toll of native birds. Early writers wrote about the power and beauty of the dawn chorus, a sound which has almost gone from Fiordland.

The endangered New Zealand Kakapo Strigops habroptilus has become an emblem of what is at risk in Fiordland. Introduced mammalian predators have reduced this, the world's largest and only flightless, parrot to the brink of extinction. There are 60 known specimens and only 26are females. (55.66K)

Richard Henry, an early New Zealand conservationist, made valiant attempts to save both kakapo and kiwi by transferring them to Resolution Island in Endeavour Inet. On August 28, 1900 his world crashed down around him "I am very sorry to have to say that I saw a stoat on Resolution"

Earlier still the New Zealand fur seal suffered at the hands of the sealers but has made a strong recovery all around New Zealand.

The fate of the Fiordland crested penguin Eudyptes pachyrhynchus may still be in the balance and it has the unfortunate status of being one of the world's rarest penguins.

We still don't know enough about the ecology of Fiordland underwater to make predictions. However the precautionary approach appears warranted. The introduction of exotic marine organisms must be avoided at all costs - a view that the Environment Court shares .... as evidenced by the late 1997 decision to refuse the appeal by Aquamarine Ltd to allow it to export water from the Lake Manapouri tailrace at Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound.

Hoki, photographed while still in captivity on Maud Island is one of the few surviving female kakapo. She is young enough that she could have many years of successful breeding ahead of her. (79.17K)

Kea are relatively common throughout northern Fiordland. Their harsh cries can often be heard at sealevel. (22.78K)

Takahe were once considered extinct until rediscovered in 1948. Since then a heroic Department of Conservation programme has brought them back from the verge of extinction. (37.53K)

The fiord marine ecosystem and the associated marine community, is a globally unique component of New Zealand's environment and heritage, and should appropriately be represented within the protected areas system of this country. Fiordland National Park protection and World Heritage Park status do not extend below mean high water, and the marine environment is unprotected except in two marine reserve areas which represent less than 1% of the Fiordland coastline.

The fiords support commercial and recreational fisheries as well as traditional Maori fisheries. Currently, issues arising from sustainability of fisheries and conflict between commercial and conservation interests must be addressed under different regulations administered by either the Southland Regional Council, Department of Conservation, or Ministry of Fisheries.

Existing international legislative mechanisms, ratified by the New Zealand Government, would enable a co-ordinated approach to environmental management of a fiord marine conservation area.

It seems almost certain that the current allowable daily take of various marine organisms is far too high for sustainability. Ruth Daley of Fiordland Ecology Holidays has done some interesting calculations which can be examined by clicking on this link.

In 1995 the Guardians of Fiordland's Fisheries (Tautiaki Ika O Atawhenua) was formed to identify and understand potential issues. They have produced a background document "A Characterisation of Fiordland's Fisheries" (1999) and a Bibliography for the Fisheries and the Marine Environment (2001). A draft management plan has been developed and is available from the Guardian's website:Beneath the Reflections.

The Department of Conservation research boat Renown is regularly used in transporting scientists around Fiordland. (68.30K)

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Last modified on Monday, September 04, 2000