Wetlands Conservation
In the 1840s an estimated 1100 km² of wetland covered the lower Waikato area and Hauraki Plains. Since then 85 to 90% of New Zealand wetlands have been lost. The Department of Conservation (DOC) estimates of wetlands that remain in the Waikato are around 320 km², which is 25% of what we had. This figure includes Whangamarino (5,130.35 hectares), and Kopuatai Peat Dome (9,238.44 hectares). Roughly 80% of New Zealand’s remaining wetlands are in areas across the Waikato Region, mostly within the Waikato, Matamata-Piako and Hauraki Districts. Five of New Zealand’s wetlands are listed on the International Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites); there are three of them in the Waikato Region:
- Kopuatai Peat Dome
- Whangamarino Wetland
- Firth of Thames estuary
Read more about this topic: Hauraki Plains
Famous quotes containing the word conservation:
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)