EDITORIAL International Protection of Nature

Forest and Bird, Issue 95, 1 February 1950, Page 1

EDITORIAL International Protection of Nature

PROTECTION of nature —forests, animals and birds eyes back into the dim past to the earliest days of civilisation. At first, no doubt, the aim was largely to preserve essential food supplies and prevent indiscriminate destruction of trees, plants, beasts and birds on which the population depended for food and other uses. All through history we find instances of this —for instance, a game reserve was made in Switzerland in 1569, and still exists.

In New Zealand Maori records show that certain large trees, and even extensive areas of forest, were protected by placing a Tapu upon them. Wild life was also carefully controlledthis control continued in some localities after the coming of the white man. For instance, wekas were very valuable as food, and up to the “seventies” on the West Coast of the South Island, the hunting of these birds was carefully controlled by the Maoris. In South Westland they were extraordinarily plentiful, but no river flats were allowed to be exploited annually; each valley was strictly preserved for three or four years to allow the birds to increase. This wise policy of the Maoris was not followed by Europeans; it has needed drastic legislation to protect even the few birds we have left. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century in the most thickly populated parts of Europe, governmental action was taken to preserve forests which were threatened with destruction, and in America, due to advancing civilisation by immigration, it was found necessary to take action to preserve both forests and animals, which owing to reckless exploitation and slaughter, were being rapidly destroyed.

In 1861 Napoleon established the Forest of Fontainebleau as a reserve. In America, in 1872, the Yellowstone National Park was set aside, and we find a similar policy in Java, until gradually nearly every country took up the policy of nature preservation. But these movements were entirely —and though several conferences were held between 1891 and 1915 —it was not until 1914 that the first really international conference was held at Berne, in which 14 States participated.

At this conference New Zealand was represented by Sir Thomas Mackenzie, who was afterwards the first President of our Society.

The First Great War intervened, and nothing was done until 1923, when 17 countries were represented at the meeting in Paris, but no final organisation was set up. During the next 23 years various voluntary bodies, representing sectional activities such as botanical, geological, ornithological, etc., discussed the matter of international action; these discussions culminated in the calling of an international conference to cover all forms of wild life and nature in 1947.

At this meeting our Society was represented by Dr. Herbert Smith, the British delegate, whose report shows that the movement is now world-wide, and promised so well that our Society has joined as a member and at the same time has urged the Government of New Zealand to take an active part.

The protection of nature is a thoroughly vital policy; it is no longer looked upon as a sentimental cause. In the last 50 years of agricultural and industrial development, destructive hunting, the planting of trees foreign to the natural forests of the country, and the introduction of foreign animals have completely changed the situation.

Millions of people in all parts of the world now show a desire to protect what is left of the forests and birds, and fully realise the disastrous effect of disturbing nature—we are all now paying for the follies of the past.

The full report of the 1947 conference fills a volume of nearly 300 pages, far too much to cover in this article, but one or two facts are worth noting.

Delegates repeatedly emphasised the danger and error of introducing trees, birds or animals foreign to the natives of the country and thus upsetting nature’s balance. Also it was frequently stressed how important it is to replace destroyed natural forests by replanting trees indigenous to the country.

These are fundamental truths which our Society has proclaimed consistently since its inception.

Truth was recognised so surely that the protection of nature is of vital interest in the state of a country; it is a world problem, and it is clear that every Government must help the organisation legally or materially to attain its objective — “governmental participation seems indispensable.”

The 1947 Conference was attended by over 70 voluntary organisations (including our Society) from 24 countries, and officially by 12 Governments. Other Governments have since joined. We trust that the New Zealand Government will also decide to take an active part in a campaign of vital importance not only to New Zealand but to the whole world.