Environment of New Zealand

Environment Of New Zealand

The environment of New Zealand is characterised by unique flora and fauna and a variety of landforms contained within a small island nation. Historically having a very isolated and endemic ecosystem far into modernity, the arrival of first the Maori and then later European settlers began to have significant impacts on this system, with the intentional and unintentional introduction of new species and plants which often overwhelmed their natural competitors, losing to a significant loss of native ecology and biodiversity, especially in areas such as bird life. Today, most parts of New Zealand are heavily modified by the effects of logging, agriculture and general human settlement, though large areas have also been placed under protection, combined in many cases with efforts to protect or regenerate native ecosystems (aided by the fact that especially the South Island of New Zealand has only a very low population density).