Deforestation in New Zealand
Deforestation in New Zealand has been a contentious
Pre-human forest cover
Since
Māori settlement
Prior to Māori arrival, New Zealand was almost entirely forested, besides high alpine regions and those areas affected by volcanic activity. Māori began settling the country about 1000 years ago[3] and by 1840, when Europeans were a small part of the total population, the forest cover is said to have been significantly reduced from 85% down to 53%.[4]
European settlement
When the first Europeans arrived, in 1769, there was still thick, dense forest cover. Early explorers such as
After the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, settlers begin a rapid expansion. Deforestation continued for many uses, including clearing land for farming and gardens and wood for construction. An estimated 50,000 acres (200 km2) of land was also lost due to human-caused forest fires within only a few days. Settlers were often granted land, such as the Homesteads, with a condition that they forfeited it if they didn't clear enough bush.[7]
The rising rate of deforestation can be correlated with a sudden rise in sawmill usage. There were only six sawmills in 1843, twelve in 1847, fifteen in 1855 and ninety-three in 1868, a growth of more than fifteen times in twenty-five years.[5] Many saw-milling settlements were in turn supported by becoming railroad stops, leading to more clearance and job availability. With time, the mills also became more productive. These factors helped create an exponential rate of deforestation across the country.
Although in 1885 the State Forest Department set aside forests to protect timber resources, for 100 years New Zealand farmers were paid incentives or provided with subsidies to clear land of trees or "improve" land for agriculture.[8] Half of New Zealand is now converted to agricultural land,[9] for example most of the river flats of the west coast are now pastures.[10] Removing forests contributed to the extinction of endemic species.[11] By removing New Zealand native forest, humans created a landscape with the climatic conditions to allow the short-horned grasshopper Phaulacridium marginale to expand its range across the country.[12]
Recent history
By the 1970s the
In 2005 forestry covered over 80,000 km2 (31,000 sq mi), or 29% of the country, made up of 63,000 km2 (24,000 sq mi) of native forest and 17,000 km2 (6,600 sq mi) of planted forests. That Stats NZ estimate was made up of areas over 0.5 ha (1.2 acres) with at least 10% crown cover and a potential minimum height of 5 m (16 ft) at maturity.[13]
Other measurements vary, so that one 2010 estimate, based on
Forest protection
Many legal avenues now exist to protect New Zealand's native forests. The
MPI also formulates policy on national and international illegal logging.[17]
In 2014 special legislation was passed to allow the extraction of large numbers of
See also
- Deforestation by region
- Environment of New Zealand
- Forestry in New Zealand
- Holocene extinction event
- Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand
- Climate change in New Zealand
- Pollution in New Zealand
References
- ISSN 0277-3791.
- ^ nzcpe (18 September 2019). "Hopped out". Planetary Ecology. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "New Zealand Forestry Insights: Deforestation". Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ISBN 0-478-09000-5.
- ^ a b c Wynn, G. ‘Destruction under the guise of improvement: The forest, 1840-1920’, in Pawson and Brooking, (eds), Environmental History of New Zealand, (2002), 100-118.
- ^ "Insights". Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Provincial District of Auckland. — The Land Act, 1877 | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ISSN 1569-3430.
- S2CID 89841369.
- ^ nzcpe (4 April 2019). "Robbing the bank: land use change". Planetary Ecology. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "7. – Extinctions – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ nzcpe (18 September 2019). "Hopped out". Planetary Ecology. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Forests and Forest Products". archive.stats.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "2011/12 edition of New Zealand Plantation Forest Industry Facts & Figures" (PDF). Forest Owners Association.
- ^ "New Zealand's forests | Ministry for Primary Industries". www.teururakau.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Indigenous Forestry". Ministry for Primary Industries. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "Preventing Illegal Logging". Ministry for Primary Industry. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "West Coast Wind-blown Timber (Conservation Lands) Act 2014". Retrieved 19 December 2016.
External links
- Forest and Bird - the largest nationwide conservation organisation in New Zealand
- Indigenous forestry Archived 20 December 2016 at the Ministry for Primary Industries
- New Zealand Forest Information and Data at Mongabay