Meaningful Marine Reserves

When people first hear the name “Forest & Bird” they might not think of dolphins, whales or fish. But we are strong advocates for the marine environment – and over the next 6 months, we will see how loud our voice can really be.

New Zealand has 44 marine reserves covering more than 17,000 square kilometres of ocean. While this may sounds huge, it’s not – it represents less than 0.5% of our total marine environment.

In a few weeks, the Ministry for the Environment will release a discussion paper on the revision of the Marine Reserves Act. When the Act was first established in 1971, it was great – ground breaking, even. But it has remained largely unchanged for over 40 years. This discussion document is an opportunity to create certainty for the on-going protection of our marine environment.

Kermadec Petrel (Photo by Karen Baird)

Forest & Bird would like to see a meaningful network of marine reserves – right throughout New Zealand’s waters. By establishing a network of marine reserves, New Zealand will start to meet modern standards of marine protection, helping to:

• Safeguard our marine environment
• Build our eco-tourism industry
• Protect biologically unique habitats and our stunning marine biodiversity
• Provide protection for other marine species such as seabirds.
• Support our fisheries
• Support marine science
• Educate people about the importance of our marine environment

We need your help to be at the forefront of this discussion – our communications and marine team will keep you informed about the consultation process, what we want from the bill, what we’re concerned about, and what action we need to take.

Sign up for email alerts so you can stay informed on this critical piece of legislation. We’ll call on you to join us in being a loud voice for nature and ensuring our marine environment gains the protection it deserves.