NATURE—AND MAN

Grey River Argus, 3 August 1935, Page 8

NATURE—AND MAN

DEER WORSE THAN RABBITS. ■ > (Edited by Leo Fanning) Several evils have been named “New Zealand’s Enemy No. 1.” In the view of the Forest and Bird Protection Society, the strongest claim to that title belongs to deer. This belief is impressively supported by an illustrated article in the Society’s August “Bulletin,” which declares “that there is plenty of indisputable evidence that deer are New Zealand’s Enemy No. 1. In some forests, especially the girdle of Mr. Egmont, wild goats are the main menace, but the districts threatened by hordes of deer are of much greater area. c ‘ The introduction of rabbits has proved a very costly blunder but bad as the rabbit is as a destroyer it has to take second to deer. Why ? Well, the rabbit makes its habitat in country that is easily accessible. Experience has proved that strict enforcement of existing laws can keep this nuisance under control. A few years ago, when the prices of skins soared to high points, this animal was practically cleaned out of some thickly-in-fested parts of Otago and Southland. “It is not so easy to wage successful war on deer, which can take refuge in very rough country. They are like the plundering old-time barons of England who could retire to strong castles when pressed by their enemies. “Always the deer are bringing death nearer to forests, on which the welfare of large tracts of farming country is absolutely dependent. They are eating out the undergrowth and so preventing regeneration; they are also killing adult trees. They' are spoiling the forest floor —changing it from a sponge, a natural regulator of water flow, into a waste of rubble. When those forests cease to be protective of the high-country soil, which is a comparatively thin layer, resting on rock, the lowlands will be smitten with irreparable disaster. “A good few thousands of the pests have been killed during the past three years in limited areas, but the tally of the slain would be far short of the natural increase, because those aiieu animals have no natural enemies in the forests. Sir Alexander Young (Minister of Internal Affairs), with a full knowledge of the havoc wrought by deer, has rightly declared a war of extermination against them, but he lacks the funds for the necessary large-scale operations. “The time has come,” the article concludes, “for the Government to recognise properly its responsibility to the present of New Zealand and to posterity. An effective onset against deer—a 'great campaign to save the vitally necessary forests —is far more important to the Dominion than anything else that is visible m the Government’s programme.”

“SEEING IS BELIEVING.” The illustrations are reproductions of photographs supplied by the State Forest Service. These pictures showdeer have destroyed much undergrowth of ihe Haurangi State Forest (on the eastern side of Wellington Province) and mountain beech in a forest ot Otago. Indeed, the havoc of the deer is such as the largest of “war-tanks” might cause in rampaging through woods. One of the pictures is titled “One of the final stages of deer rum. Scoured in parts of the Haurangi Reserve after the forest cover has been ravaged by deer.” In contrast with that distressing evidence of desolation is a picture showing how Nature, in suitable localities, can make new forests if she is not checked by man or animals. It is a beautiful young growth of beech in a Southland forest (previously cut over), a strong regeneration, because ;he area is not infested by deer. INDIVIDUALS AND THE STATE. It is a widespread belief that there can be too much “State interference with private enterprise, but there are unquestionably some cases where the rights of the State (the whole public, and posterity) must prevail against selfish schemes which take an unbalanced toll of natural assets. This matter is interestingly treated editorially in “Nature Magazine” (published by the American Nature Association). “Our Coustiution,” the writer says, “protects the rights of individuals but such individual rights must be made to harmonize with the welfare ot the people as a whole. In short, the future management of our public lands needs to go much further than the Taylor Grazing Act (which is intended to control grazing by domestic stock on the Public Domain). It must tmd means to compensate individuals for individual hardships, without saent.cing the .principles of strictest consena-lion--that is to say, much of this vast area of public land should be withdrawn from any present use by domestic stock until Nature has had time to, get in her work and restore an adequate natural vegetation . . • • “There is a strange anomaly in the present situation in that one large group of economic doctois claims an overproduction of’ agricultural ducts, including livestock, and actually goes so far as to pay farmers and stockmen real money for the right to destroy crops and kill livestock, while at the, same time, the proposition to reduce (the number of livestock by natural means of adequately restricting over-grazing is considered a wild dream. To be sure, there ar e practical difficulties to be over come in the fulfilment of any such dream, but, it they were attacked directly, in accordance with a preconceived plan, :t would <eem to the logical mind that better ana more permanent results eoulct be obtained.” New Zealand has suffered from over-grazing of Crown lan Is in the high tussock country of Ot/igo. Cm-. terbury and Marlborough. In Otago, particularly, the burning of tussock (to induce new growth) by graziers has destroyed this vegetation m large areas,' which then become subject to erosion. Thus th? way is opened lor damage to bettor farming lands in the lower country.

CAPERS OF DOTTEREL. Some birds are almost as fond of frolic and gambols as kittens and puppies are. The banded dotterel of New Zealand has moods of playfulness. “During the mating sea-son, wrote Edgar Stea®, "and also, to a lessor e xtent at, other- periods _of the year, dotterel have a styte*of flight that we call capers.” Usual y single Jirds, but Wmetimei two or three, wif suddenly beftgm to fly st a great rate, steering ar’most courge- u an fl down, twisting, -. ing Lad diving at such speigd th a. it to follow their evolutions with the s lve The whole lasts onl y for a few seconds,- ancl covers a verj small area., but it is a nW amazi<effort Of flight. It is apparently ina|L e d in for pule amusememt.