Wetlands of New Zealand facts for kids
New Zealand has many important wetlands. However, about 90% of these special areas have been lost since people from Europe arrived.
What are Wetlands?
Wetlands are areas of land that are wet for a long time. They can be wet all the time or only part of the year. These places have shallow water and land that is often soggy. They are home to unique plants and animals that are good at living in wet conditions.
In New Zealand, a law called the Resource Management Act 1991 helps define wetlands. It describes them as "permanently or intermittently wet areas, shallow water, and land water margins that support a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions."
There is also an international agreement called the Ramsar Convention. New Zealand joined this agreement in 1971. The Convention helps countries work together to protect important wetlands around the world.
New Zealand's Special Wetlands
The Department of Conservation is the group in New Zealand that helps manage the Ramsar Convention. They look after the wetlands that are recognized internationally.
As of 2019, New Zealand has several Ramsar sites. These are very important wetlands that are protected:
- Farewell Spit
- Firth of Thames
- Kopuatai Peat Dome
- Manawatu river mouth and estuary
- Waituna Wetlands Scientific Reserve
- Whangamarino Wetland
Together, these Ramsar sites cover a huge area, about 56,600 hectares. That's like more than 100,000 football fields!
Besides these, other notable wetlands in New Zealand include:
- Ahukawakawa Swamp
- Aramoana
- The Kepler Mire
- Kai Iwi Lakes
- The Sinclair Wetlands
- Te Henga
- Areas near the lower parts of the Waikato River
Protecting Wetlands: Why it Matters
Over the last 150 years, New Zealand has lost about 90% of its wetland areas. A big reason for this loss was draining the land for farming. Farmers needed more land for crops and animals, so they removed the water from wetlands.
Many wetlands that are left are also in poor condition. This can be due to pollution, animals grazing too much, or more drainage. Sometimes, plants that are not native to New Zealand also grow in wetlands and cause problems.
Luckily, in recent years, people have been working hard to protect and restore wetlands. This is called wetland conservation.
One great example is the Rakatu Wetlands in the South Island. This is a big project to fix environmental problems. It was started because of the building of the Manapouri Power Station.
Another amazing project is Travis Wetland in Christchurch. This area used to be a dairy farm that was drained. Now, it's being restored to its natural wetland state. It covers 116 hectares and is a valuable green space in the city.
