New Zealand Wild Animals List
Wildlife list New ZealandLocal wildlife | Forest and birds
New Zealand's flora and fauna have evolved on a truly remarkable evolving pathway due to their long geologic isolations since erupting from the Gondwana super-continent some 80 million years ago. "Many of our indigenous flora and fauna are indigenous - nowhere else in the game. New Zealand's degree of endemicity among New Zealand's flora and fauna is one of the highest in the worInd.
Ruatara, Mara, Kiwi, www, huaia, k?k?p?, suddleback, local crocodiles and huge meat-eating terrestrial gastropods are just some of the wildlife that New Zealand has to offer. As a result of this insulation in the absentia of mammal robbers for several million years, many of our indigenous breeds have been practically unprotected against attacks - for example, many of our indigenous breeds such as the kiwis are air-impaired and nesting on the groun.
As the people - first Maori and then Europeans - came to New Zealand, imported animals came with them: mammals: mammals, opossums, ermines, ferrets, wasels, roes, deer, hogs, lizards, mice, cat, and other. Established varieties quickly took a huge price for exploiting, searching and competing with the largely defenseless indigenous New Zealand population.
Also, man-made activity such as cutting down and incinerating flora and the drainage of wetland areas devastated much of the habitat of indigenous people. Indigenous wildlife such as the mighty blue sea bream, huija and the world's biggest black hawk as well as the Haast eagles, the South Island cocaco and many others are no more. Forest & Bird has been playing an important part in reversing the fragile state of many of our indigenous flora and fauna since our foundation in 1923.
By sensitizing the general population to the uniqueness and peculiarity of our indigenous fauna, we have worked to better preserve these endangered animals. In addition, we participate in practical conservation of indigenous plant and animal life through the regeneration of habitats and insect repellent measures. In spite of the work of Forest & Bird and other environmentalists, many of our indigenous endangered breeds are threatened with extinction. 2,700 have recently been classified as "endangered".
They face a number of risks - in particular the menace of imported pests - that need to be better addressed in order for our indigenous livelihood. The endangered types we are working to rescue are, among others Forestry and Bird is part of the Pakapo Recovery Programme, which has contributed to reversing the decrease in the populations of more than 200 cats.
Forestry & Bird is working with the Central North Island Blue Duck Trust to rebuild the communities of the city. Their numbers are growing at a slow pace. Working with Save the Kiwi Trust helps to protect kiwi from imported predators so that their populations can recover. Ovens are taken from the wilderness and slipped and the kiwis are reared in predator-proof "kiwi cribs" like in our bush park until they are big enough to kill beasts.
Coca-Cola' s reach has been cut by 90% (1970s to 2007), but recent success in the Kokaka Recovery Programme (in which Forest & Bird is a partner) means that its populations are now up. Well-known as the capitol of the Albatross, New Zealand is home to many of these sea-fowl.
Forestry & Bird is part of the global Saving the Albatross initiative to prevent albatross by-catches in fishing. The Forest & Bird team is working to rescue the extinct fairy terns by establishing an alternate hatchery. To help conserve these extinct animals, we have launched a project with the help of DOC, Ngati Kuia and our bats specialist Dr. Brian Lloyd.
A twin-track strategy is pursued to strengthen this bats population: insect repellent in combination with research into populations and nutrition. As an important member of the New Zealand Seashark Alliance, we are committed to an immediate prohibition of sharks. The country-wide campaign for more efficient insect management and the conservation and recovery of indigenous environments means that many of our indigenous breeds have a better opportunity to rebuild their populations.