Indigenous NZ in ‘serious trouble’

A new national strategy will be developed to address the ‘‘critical’’ state of our country’s indigenous biodiversity, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has announced.

Speaking at Napier’s Ahuriri Estuary yesterday, Sage said New Zealand was a ‘‘global biodiversity hotspot’’.

‘‘We have a rich and unique indigenous biodiversity that includes plants, birds, bats, insects, lizards and fish that are found nowhere else in the world, and distinctive ecosystems such as ancient rainforests, tussock grasslands and braided rivers,’’ she said.

‘‘The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2000 was a landmark document. It helped Eugenie Sage inspire the increasing public interest and practical support for protecting our native plants and wildlife and their habitats.’’ That strategy expires in 2020. ‘‘Developing a new New Zealand biodiversity strategy over the next 16 months, in consultation with the public, will help ensure we are doing all we can to protect and enhance our unique biodiversity,’’ Sage said.

New Zealand’s indigenous plants and wildlife, and their habitats, were in ‘‘serious trouble’’, she said, with 4000 native species threatened or at risk of extinction, including 81 per cent of New Zealand’s native birds.

‘‘I am pleased to be with Te Komiti Muriwai o Te Whanga [the Ahuriri Estuary Committee] today at the Ahuriri Estuary, a major coastal wetland on the North Island’s east coast to launch the work to prepare a new biodiversity strategy.

‘‘This Government recognises that nature is at the heart of our success as country and the importance of tackling the biodiversity crisis.’’

The plan was part of New Zealand’s international responsibility under the United Nations’ Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

The CBD is an international, legally-binding treaty with three main goals – conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.