Hector’s dolphin, a species set to benefit from the new marine protections – credit, Anjanette Baker, CC 4.0. BY-SA
In what is being described as an “important first step,” for marine protections in the island nation of New Zealand, 5 new marine preserves will enter into force next month.
Surrounding a district called Otago near the southeastern tip of the South Island, 308 square miles of key marine habitats filled with charismatic species will gain protections under the new law.
The reserves will be managed in partnership with the local Māori community, and be exclusive “no-take” areas.
“For Otago’s wildlife, this will be game-changing,” said World Wildlife Fund NZ’s conservation impact manager Jamie Fowler.
“These protections will give some of our rarest and most threatened species the breathing space they desperately need and provide genuine safe havens for hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin), pakake (New Zealand sea lion), and tutumairekurai (Hector’s dolphin).”
Along with the animals, kelp forests and other key habitats will be protected from extractive industry.
Previously designated as the South-East Marine Protection Network, it has been renamed “Te Au Roa o Te Rakihouia” in honor of the first-known human to journey along and around the coastline of the South Island, whose name was Te Rakihouia.
This connection between the reserve network and the Māori runs deeper than just the name. 9 rangers from the principle South Island Māori group called Kāi Tahu are being trained in the management and monitoring of the marine reserves on a day-to-day basis.
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A Kāi Tahu community leader, Edward Ellison, told Radio New Zealand that the management partnership “will help ensure that decisions around the management of Te Au Roa reflect our customary practices and local knowledge of these coastal areas.”
A 6th reserve was blocked from being added to the network after a legal challenge by the Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association. Resolution on the challenge and the final reserve boundaries are expected soon.
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Despite its rich seas, reputation as a biodiversity and ecotourism paradise, and long-time leftwing leadership, this is New Zealand’s first effort at significant marine protections in a decade. Fowler and other local conservation voices hope it can be the catalyst for further protections.
“If we are serious about reversing biodiversity loss, we must build on this momentum,” Fowler told RNZ.
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