CONSERVATION ISSUES IN NEW ZEALAND
Conservation in New Zealand is failing to halt an ongoing decline in biodiversity. Classical problems of ecosystem loss and fragmentation have largely been countered in some regions by reservation of 30% of total land area. Unsustainable harvesting of native biodiversity has stopped; indeed harvesti...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Annual review of ecology and systematics 2000-01, Vol.31 (1), p.61-78 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Conservation in New Zealand is failing to halt an ongoing decline in
biodiversity. Classical problems of ecosystem loss and fragmentation have
largely been countered in some regions by reservation of 30% of total
land area. Unsustainable harvesting of native biodiversity has stopped; indeed
harvesting of terrestrial species is rare. In contrast, marine reserves do not
cover even 1% of the managed area, and harvest of native species, some
of it unsustainable, are a major industry. Introduced pests, especially
mammals, are the overwhelming conservation problem. Legislation, management,
and considerable public opinion is based on preservationist ideals that demand
the sanctity of native land biodiversity. Considerable success in threatened
species management, island eradications, and mainland control of pests is
increasing opportunities for restoration. New legislation is increasingly built
on concepts of sustainability and offers the opportunity for integrating
conservation, use, and development. Realization of these opportunities requires
greater understanding of the relative merits of preservation versus
sustainability, the dynamics and costs of pest control, the need for ecosystem
processes in addition to individual species, and the involvement of people,
especially the rights of indigenous Maori. Understanding marine environments
and linking attitudes to land and sea is also a challenge. |
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ISSN: | 0066-4162 2330-1902 |
DOI: | 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.61 |