ecoglobe - DOC Suspects Northland Kiwi Down 40 Percent 09SEP99

ecoNews list | previous | next | ecoglobe front page | site index & keywords

*ecoglobe news* (9 September 1999)
.	DOC Suspects Northland Kiwi Down 40 Percent Whangarei, Sept 9 - Kiwi numbers in Northland may have dropped 40 percent since 1995, according to Department of Conservation (DOC) research. Annual monitoring at 29 sites in Northland has shown kiwi call counts have dropped an average 10 percent per year since 1995. DOC advisory scientist Ray Pierce said that while kiwi were present at all sites monitored, numbers were down an average 18 percent on last year. While call counts provided an index of kiwi abundance, they also correlated closely with the actual number of birds. Dogs, ferrets, stoats and weasels were being blamed for the decline, which had been noted in all but the most intensely controlled kiwi habitats. Those sites, including Trounson Kauri Park and a bush area north of Whangarei, were showing the high level of management needed to protect the kiwi, Mr Pierce said. "The most important thing members of the public can do for kiwi is to control their dogs in and around known kiwi areas. We are fortunate here in Northland to still be able to hear kiwi in the wild, but everyone has a role to play in safeguarding their future on the mainland," he said. While it was not known exactly how many kiwi survived in Northland, their numbers were several thousand, Mr Pierce said. DOC monitoring involved volunteers and staff listening for two hours after dark for four nights. Northland kiwi call counts remain among the highest in New Zealand. Kiwi dwelling between Whangarei and the Brynderwyn Hills, about 60km south of the city, had been wiped out in the 1970s and 1980s and numbers elsewhere had been rapidly declining since. # # # end of article # # # Transcript from NZPA WRA km rap 09/09/99 13-57NZ NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Web site Department of Conservation: www.doc.govt.nz ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ecoglobe has written about kiwis and Kiwis. The birds lended their name to the people of New Zealand. The decline of the birds could be taken as a warning sign for the people. The more we spread our civilisation, the less space we are leaving for nature. Resources are finite. This planet does have limits. Some scientists have calculated that we are reaching the physical limits to growth very soon indeed. The below graph shows where we may be heading if we continue spreading and growing, with business as usual.	.

See web site www.dieoff.com/page5 for more info around the above graph.
Feedback to: welcome@ecoglobe.org.nz

this site: http://www.ecoglobe.org.nz/news1999/9099news.htm