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Environment New Zealand 2007 questions and answers: Key findings - Biodiversity

Environment New Zealand 2007 publications

What are the key findings on biodiversity in the report?

In a nutshell

  • By international standards, a very high proportion of New Zealand is protected for conservation purposes although most if this is in mountainous environments.
  • Both the area of conservation land and the area under intensive pest management have increased over the past decade.
  • The seven monitored native species (the lesser short-tailed bat, kiwi, kokako, kākā, mohua, wrybill, and dactylanthus) have all decreased in range since the 1970s, probably due to pest activity rather than habitat loss.
  • Many other native species remain threatened. 
  • While some native species have improved their threat status, others have worsened.

Facts and figures

  • Just over 32 per cent or 8.65 million hectares of New Zealand’s land area is legally protected for conservation purposes.
  • The area of public conservation land has increased by 4.56 per cent between 2004 and 2007.
  • Private land under legal protection has increased by just about 51 per cent over the same period to 221,000 hectares.
  • Private land is protected via the QEII Trust and Ngā Whenua Rāhui.
  • About 44 per cent of New Zealand’s land area is covered by native vegetation, most of which is in hill country and alpine areas.
  • Between 1997 and 2001, an estimated 16,500 hectares equating to 0.1 per cent of native land cover (including vegetative and non-vegetative native cover, such as sand and gravel) have been either converted to other uses or changed as the result of natural processes.
  • Some of our more common native birds have shown an increase in distribution in recent years (27 out of 96 observed species).
  • The same percentage (28 per cent) reduced in distribution between 1985 and 2004. Ninety-three per cent of these were endemic species.
  • It is estimated that wetland areas have reduced by about 90 per cent from their original area.
  • Wetlands currently cover fewer than 2,500 square kilometres. Of this amount, less than half is legally protected.
  • Between 2000 and 2006 the areas targeted for possum management by the Department of Conservation increased by 60 per cent. Those targeted by the Animal Health Board increased by 40 per cent since 2001. Together, 37 per cent of New Zealand’s total land area was under intensive possum management.

What is the government doing to improve the (management of) biodiversity in New Zealand?

A number of initiatives related to the findings of the Biodiversity chapter are underway and under development. Examples include: