Marine%20Conservation%20in%20NZ:%20Mangrove%20Forests%20

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Marine Conservation in NZ Mangrove Forests
Mauis Dolphins

• Deborah Robertson 28th July 2014

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Contents

• New Zealand
• Marine environment
• Marine conservation
• Mangrove forests
• Mauis dolphins

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New Zealand / Aotearoa
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New Zealand marine environment

• 5th largest in the world
• 15,000 known species
• Estimates of 65,000 species
• 80 of our biodiversity is in sea, only 1
  surveyed

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Management and conservation

• New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement
• Resource Management Act 1991
• Policy statements and plans objectives,
  policies, rules
• Resource consents (EIAs, public consultation,
  hearings)
• Fisheries Act
• Reserves Acts for land and sea
• EEZ and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects)
  Act
• Marine Mammals Protection Act
• Lots of NGOs, community groups, public education,
  EnviroSchools

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Mangrove forests
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Mangrove forests

• Most southern mangrove growing country
• One species - Avicennia marina.
• In NZ for 19m yrs
• Extensive forests top half of North Island
• Have faced many challenges roads formed causing
  silt build up, smothering pneumatophores rubbish
  dumps land reclamation drainage grazing

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Mangrove forests
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Mangrove forests

• Spread since 1930s, definitely since 1970s
• Why?
• Build up of sediments and rising of inter-tidal
  flats
• Sediments flow to estuary from catchment,
  following native forest clearance and land
  development
• Changes to water movements
• Increased nutrients from farmland

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Mangrove forests

• They are protected. They cant be removed or
  interfered with.
• Wide range of views positive and negative (loss
  of beach and open water is an issue)
• Communities and groups can apply for consent to
  manage local areas (e.g. removing, pruning,
  plucking seeds from ground

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Mauis dolphin

• The worlds smallest and rarest
• West coast of North Island
• Critically endangered
• In 2012, only 55 aged more than 1 yr
• Isolated from Hectors dolphin

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Mauis dolphin

• Often found close to shore in pods
• Grey, white and black markings and well-rounded
  dorsal fin
• Females 1.7m long 50kgs
• Population increase is sloooow
• Lifespan 20 yrs
• Feed on a variety of fish species
• Use echolocation

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Threats

• Fishing bycatch in set nets, drift nets
  trawls
• Pollution from coast
• Boat strikes
• Construction - displacement
• Seabed mining / exploration displacement,
  noise, spills, loss of fish and benthic food
• Tourism dolphin watching

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Conservation

• Marine Mammal Sanctuary and TMP
• Set net ban 0 2 nm
• Set net ban 2 7 nm unless observer onboard
• Monitoring of trawl fisheries
• Seismic surveying code of conduct
• Boat racing code of conduct
• But

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Mauis dolphin

• We need to do more to save them protection is
  very slow
• Supported by international organisations
• Government is opening up marine sanctuary for oil
  exploration
• Lots of public opposition

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