FLORA AND FAUNA, PRESERVATION OF

The indigenous vegetation of New Zealand is considered to be unique as it consists of a very large number of endemic species. It is fortunate that on the early voyages of discovery there were men who were keenly interested in plants. On his first voyage Captain Cook was accompanied by Joseph Banks, who made the voyage for the purpose of observing the plants of new countries, and had spent many thousands of pounds of his own money on equipment and assistants. Also on Cook's other voyages, as on the voyages of d'Urville and others, were men who collected and described the plants they found. We are fortunate that so many surveyors and geologists of this early period were keen botanists. Before long there appeared comprehensive descriptions of the plants of New Zealand, and at Kew Gardens was established a very extensive herbarium of the specimens they collected. Since then there have been many changes in the vegetative pattern. The original vegetation had flourished free from the depredations of mammals but the arrival of the European settler saw the introduction of domestic animals, many of which escaped to the bush and became feral. They fed on native plants and trampled the undergrowth. Further changes took place with the destructive burning of the bush, large-scale felling of trees for timber, and clearing the land for farming.

In our forests there were very great numbers of birds which were disturbed by the coming of man, both Maori and European. The introduction of rats, stoats, weasels, and cats has greatly reduced the numbers of birds, with the result that some species have become extinct or almost so. The armies of rabbits which for a time threatened to overrun the country have changed the aspect of vegetation in many areas. Moas have disappeared, and the kiwi (Apteryx), the kakapo (Strigops), the takahe (Notornis), the flightless birds, are now seldom found. The tui (Prosthemadera) with its bell-like notes; the huia with the long curved bill of the female; the kea, accused of killing sheep, and the wry-billed plover are in some districts in danger of extinction. So in a less noticeable way are many of the native plants.

Early Attempts at Scenery Preservation

In an effort to curb to some extent this spoliation of the landscape, the Scenery Preservation Act was passed in 1903, by which three islands were set apart for the preservation of birds and plants: Little Barrier in the north, Resolution in the south, and Kapiti to cover the central districts. Since then, however, much greater destruction has been caused by deer, goats, opossums – animals introduced for sport and other reasons. To offset this there has been agitation from a persistent few to preserve more of our native forests, as, for instance, in the fencing off of a large area by Guthrie Smith at Tutira.

Leonard Cockayne was an ardent advocate of the setting aside of further areas for the preservation of plants and birds, and in his detailed reports on plants in many areas he constantly urged the adoption of preventive measures. He advocated the growing of native plants in public and private gardens and showed what could be done in his large garden of 4 acres at New Brighton, Christchurch, and, later, in the area at Wilton, Wellington, which has since become well known as the Otari Plant Museum, a living monument to the memory of this great man. Though there are now 28 sanctuaries supervised by the Department of Lands and Survey, as well as many municipal and private parks and areas set aside where the public are asked not to destroy flora or fauna, there is still much destruction occurring outside these areas, either as a sacrifice to the cause of progress, or as the result of depredations of deer and opossums and other feral animals.

Otari Plant Museum

An area of approximately 150 acres at Wilton was purchased by the Government in 1907 and proclaimed a scenic reserve, the area in 1918 being vested in the Wellington City Council. In 1927, largely at the instigation of Cockayne and J. G. Mackenzie, then Director of Parks, it was set aside as a reserve for the planting of as complete a collection as possible of the indigenous plants of the New Zealand Botanical Region, and for the protection and improvement of the forest already there. Known today as the Otari Open Air Plant Museum, this area now includes plants brought from all over New Zealand. These are all clearly labelled with reference to a register giving particulars of each plant. The establishment of the fine rock garden at the main entrance to Otari has been the work of W. B. Brockie. Hundreds of species have been collected, or sent in by enthusiasts, from hills and alpine regions. Here are to be found Raoulia (vegetable sheep), the sweet-scented Myosotis traversii, the tiny white Pimelia prostrata, the pygmy pine (Dacrydium laxifolium), and many species of Hebe and other genera.

Control by the Department of Lands and Survey

Besides the national parks scenic reserves, and domains which form habitats where native flora and fauna have a chance of survival, by 1962 twenty-eight reserves, with a total area of nearly 450,000 acres, had been set aside for the special purpose of preservation of flora and fauna, by the Department of Lands and Survey which retains control of access by the public. These comprise mainly off-shore and outlying islands, with the recent addition of Snares, Bounty, and Antipodes Islands which are ideal sanctuaries for sea birds and marine mammals. Sub-Antarctic Islands are now under this control and are uninhabited, with the exception of Campbell Island where there is a meteorological station. A study of the Chatham Island group, especially of Rangatira Island (now a reserve) has shown that, where previously most of the vegetation has been destroyed by sheep, regeneration of the former plant covering is now taking place. Caretakers at these sanctuaries report on the numbers and species of birds as well as growth of plants. Visitors are allowed only by special permit, and are usually persons who are keen naturalists. On Kapiti Island a certain amount of recent planting has resulted in good cover and food supply for the birds.

Little Barrier Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, is an area of nearly 7,000 acres where tuis, parakeets, kakas, and stitch birds are common. Kiwis and even tuataras, sea birds on the coast, and many insects live unmolested. Though most sanctuaries are islands there are important mainland areas: at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke's Bay, there are 32 acres set aside as a gannet colony; and the white heron colony at Waitangiroto, South Westland, is an area of nearly 2,000 acres where herons and spoonbills have been successfully hatched and reared.

Modern Policy

The Wildlife Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs was established in 1945 to deal with all problems concerned with wildlife. Two of its functions are the preservation of native birds, and the conservation and management of stocks of game birds. The Wildlife Act of 1953 marked a great forward step in administration. Close liaison was established between the Wildlife Branch and the Freshwater Fisheries Section of the Marine Department, as it was realised that the control of wildlife was a cooperative venture. At the same time the Department of Agriculture was given authority over the importation of all mammals, birds, and plants, in efforts to regulate the entry of pests. In 1956 the Forest Service was given control over deer, opossums, and other browsing animals. The Rabbit Destruction Council works through various rabbit boards, and the Animal Ecology Division carries out research. The Forest and Bird Society are active in all problems concerning preservation of flora and fauna.

The Wildlife Branch has carried on a policy of conservation, has exterminated goats, pigs, and sheep from various islands, and has planted native trees to speed up regeneration (as on Stephens Island, the haunt of the tuatara). With the cooperation of the Forest Service a portion of the Mount Bruce reserve, near Masterton, is being developed as a station for research on native birds. Here were reared the chicks of the Notornis brought from Takahe Valley, Te Anau, a species long thought to be extinct. It is the function of the Wildlife Branch to consider conflicting interests of sportsman, farmer, and naturalist, to stimulate interest in the conservation of natural resources, and to endeavour to obtain cooperation on all problems connected with the preservation of our indigenous flora and fauna.

by Olive Rita Croker, M.A., Botanist, Wellington.