Management Of A Wilderness Area

Management of a Wilderness Area: threats and solutions Fiordland National Park New Zealand Attributes of wilderness:

Volcanic activity

Excellent water quality

Natural Aquifer locations

Untouched Glacial areas

Te Ana-au Caves

Large array of aquatic and land animals including trout

Large fiords in the south west corner

Maori first settled here

Te Anau is the gateway to the world-famous Fiordland National Park, a World Heritage Area covering almost 1.2 million hectares. Fiordland represents nature on a grand scale, where waterfalls tumble thousands of metres into pristine, forested valleys, and glacier-carved fiords indent its coastal boundaries. Location

Potential Threats: Mining: the discovery of gold in 1868 initiated a rush of mining in the area Fiordland has become one of New Zealand’s prime tourist and recreational areas: The north-eastern sector, from Manapöuri to Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, is the most intensely used portion of Fiordland National Park, largely due to its accessibility and the level of promotion it receives. Fishing: made the natural fish stock dwindle Walking and destruction of nature trails Building of roads making the national park more accessible Management Strategies: Due to natural resource exploitation most of the Fiordland and a lot of its costal islands were set aside by the government in 1890s and they appointed its first government ranger and curator to keep the area in order. Its 1.2 million hectares of land has been recognised as a world heritage site and it now protected widely, Fiordland is also a national park. The Guardians of the Lakes advisory group was established in 1973 to ensure ecologically sensitive control of the water levels of Lakes Manapöuri and Te Anau. Similar responsibilities for Lake Monowai were added to the Guardians’ role in 1990. While Fiordland National Park has national status as a protected natural area, it also has significant functions in the regional context. Fiordland is contiguous with other mountain and low-land indigenous forests in western Southland and Otago. Together these areas are the habitat of several threatened forest bird species, as well as other wildlife. Fiordland National Park should not be managed in isolation from broader conservation strategies. Protected by the national parks ace 1980, the conservation act 1987, wildlife act 1953, wild animal control act 1977, resource management act 199, and the marine management ace 2005