New wildlife area

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 2

New wildlife area

Greymouth reporter A new wildlife management area, covering 172 hectares of swampy land, has been reserved at Rotokino.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands at Hokitika, Mr R. Austin, said that the new reserve ajoined the Lake Rotokino scenic reserve and had long been recognised as an “outstanding wildlife habitat.”

“The area is very lowlying and wet with swampy edges giving way to open waters and meandering creek systems which are subject to regular flooding. Some 40 hectares and what is referred to as Rotokino

‘islands’ are a little more elevated but still completely inundated on occasions,” said Mr Austin.

The importance of the reserve lay in its rich diversity of wildfowl, he said.

“The swamp vegetation and marshlands support a great variety of water birds, including many threatened species. “Crake, crested grebe, white heron, and fernbirds inhabit the area together with bittern, black swan, grey duck, and pied stilt to mention but a few of the birds recorded.

“The largest moulting population of paradise shel-

duck in Westland occurs on adjoining Lake Rotokino and on White Heron Lagoon, which is partially included in the reserve,” he said.

The initiative in seeking the declaration of the reserve had come from the Wildlife Service of the Internal Affairs Department which, in 1979, asked the Lands and Survey Department to investigate purchase of the land.

Control and management would lie with the Minister of Internal Affairs and the reserve would also be subject to the Wildlife Act, said Mr Austin. It would be known as White Heron Lagoon Wildlife Management Reserve.