| New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Insular Southeastern Asia | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | http://www.govt.nz/, Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand's Biodiversity Website (!) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | New Zealand
Embassy, 37 Observatory Circle, Washington DC 20008 U.S.A. Phone. (202) 328-4800 Fax (202) 667-5227 Email: nz@nzemb.org |
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| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation |
Minister of Conservation Department of Conservation (Director General), |
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| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | Greenpeace | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | It is almost impossible to summarize the wealth of resources that New Zealand has. New Zealand has one of the most variend and biodiverse island ecosystems of anywhere in the world, which makes it a spectacular place to study and live. It also has a fairly large amount of forest. The New Zealand protected area system is among the most comprehensive in the world and was one of the earliest to develop, having its origins in the days of European settlement in the latter half of the last century. In 1989 the system contained more than 2,000 individual areas, covering approximately 5 million hectares. This system protects many ecosystems that are completely unique and houses many species that have few or no relatives elsewhere in the world. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | "The introduction of land-mammals (unknown before the arrival of humans, save for three species of bat) by successive settlers, Polynesian and European, has seriously damaged the habitat of many species, including the flightless birds, of which the moa, adzebill and flightless goose have become extinct, and reduced the forest area, now about 25% of the land." (New Zealand Demographics) There is also a good deal of clearing of forests to make room for other activities, and for the wood itself. However, New Zealand ranks as one of the most informed countries I did as far as information available on the web and in other places. They have a very extensive website and specifically mention Biodiversity a lot. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of native species extinction in the world; half of its endemic bird species have become extinct and 500 species of animals and plants are currently threatened. This is partly to be expected, as New Zealand is a lot more like larger countries as far as politics and other activities go, but the rate at which species are going extinct is quite dramatic. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 270,534 (Sq. km) | New Zealand Demographics | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 75230 (Sq. km) | CIA World Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | (Sq. km) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 10 (Sq. km) | CIA World Factbook | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: | 3487396 (1993) | Density: | 12.71 / Sq. km (1992) | ||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: | 5 million ha | Fraction of land area protected (%): | 20% | Pacific Protected Areas Information | |||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | List of Major Protected Areas | Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
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| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
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World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | The State of New Zealand's Environment has a lot of information in these issues, and covers things very well. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems |
The Biosecurity Act of 1993 tries to reduce the harm that exotics do. The Environment Act of 1996 gets people involved, tries to manage the environment better, and looks at the impact of activities. There is a very large Resource Management Act that is a good reference. Also passed, but without hyperlinks, or not as important: Conservation Act 1987, Forests Act 1949 (with 1993 amendment), Wildlife Act 1953, Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 |
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| Signatory to CITES | acceded to on 10 May 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | signed on 13 August 1976 with effect from 13 December 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | ratified on 29 December 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | Not listed on comprehensive list, assumed no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | August 2, 1949 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Tons! See here: Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and here: Multilateral Agreements in Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | "Fish is an important export. Fish catch is controlled on the basis of individual transferable quotas. The most important export species are orange roughy, hoki and snapper. Mollusc exports (notably green mussels) rose sharply in the year ending June 1995, when most of the shellfish bans came to an end." | New Zealand Demographics | |||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | Forest Products and wood are major exports. | New Zealand Demographics | |||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | "Its Rotorua area, a much-visited tourist attraction, has boiling mud pools and geysers. Tourism is being carefully managed to protect the environment." Total tourists were 1,441,838 for 1996, percentage of that ecotourists is unknown. | New Zealand Demographics | |||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | Not much that I could find. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | Hunting is not a major problem that is being addressed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Regular westerly winds clear things up for the most part, but polution is a problem near urban areas during calm conditions. Check out Chapter 6 - The State of Our Air, from their big Book. | Air Issues, The State of New Zealand's Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution |
A number of risks are known, including: Deteriorating water quality as a result of unsustainable land use practices, such as sediment loss from over-grazed areas and damage to riparian strips, inadequate treatment or disposal of industrial and agricultural effluents, and urban sewage. Problems with water-borne pests are also a problem. There is also aquifer collapse. |
Water risks, The State of New Zealand's Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | |||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species |
"70 million possums are the worst pest. They eat about 21,000 tonnes of vegetation each night, kill native birds and invertebrates, and help to spread tuberculosis to domestic cattle". The Department of Conservation says "that unwanted pests pose a bigger problem than land developments to New Zealand's declining biodiversity." Pressure on our environment from many smaller invaders, such as insects, parasitic worms, weeds and fungi. |
Pests, Weeds, and Diseases, Unwanted Pests Announcement | |||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | They have an Air Quality Management plan. There is a New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy. The Fisheries Act 1996 requires that fish stocks are utilised in a sustainable manner. There is a lot of information available on this subject at the The State of New Zealand's Environment, especially interesting is Chapter 8. | Air Quality, New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy , Fisheries Information | |||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | The State of New Zealand's Environment has a lot of information in these issues, and covers things very well. | The State of New Zealand's Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | The State of New Zealand's Environment has a lot of information in these issues, and covers things very well. | The State of New Zealand's Environment | |||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Adam Bonner as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA