World Wetlands Day 2 February 2009

Opau Wetland Should Be Declared A Nature Reserve
 
The Southern Environmental Association has called on New Zealand's Conservation Minister Tim Groser and SOE Minister Simon Power to initiate action to designate Wellington City's largest undeveloped swamp (the Opau Wetland, which is located south of Makara) as a Nature Reserve, and open the area up to public walking and cycling access within 3 years.  The land is Government-owned through Meridian Energy Limited, a State Owned Enterprise.
 
The full text of the SEA's letter to the Ministers today (including our contact details at the end) reads as follows:
 
Dear Mr Groser and Mr Power,
 

WORLD  WETLANDS  DAY:  REQUEST  FOR  GOVERNMENT  TO  ACT  TO  DESIGNATE  OPAU  WETLAND  IN  WELLINGTON  CITY  AS  A  NATURE  RESERVE  OPEN  TO  THE  PUBLIC

On this, World Wetlands Day 2009, we are writing on behalf of the Southern Environmental Association to request that the Government take steps to designate the Opau Wetland, south of Makara, in Wellington City, as a Nature Reserve in terms of the Reserves Act 1977. 

Background to World Wetlands Day

As noted above, today, 2nd February 2009, is World Wetlands Day.  It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general, and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

The Opau Wetland

The Opau Wetland in Wellington City has been owned by the Government for many years – previously by the New Zealand Post Office and Telecom (when that company was State-Owned), and more recently through Meridian Energy Limited.

The Opau Wetland is the only remaining sizable swamp within Wellington City boundaries that is in a relatively natural condition.  It is also the only wetland in Wellington City with raupo (Typha orientalis) present.

The wetland occupies the lower part of the Opau Valley and is edged by various attractive remnant stands of coastal forest and regenerating shrublands.  The indigenous vegetation around the edges of the swamp is important for the ecological integrity of the swamp. 

The significant ecological values of this wetland were highlighted in 2006 by ecologist Dr Maggy Wassilieff in evidence to the Environment Court.

We are enclosing a plant species list and a number of photographs of the Opau Wetland.  

We note that the Opau Valley swamp and the surrounding vegetation are not required for the purposes of Meridian’s wind farm which is currently being established on ridges on the same block of public land.  Moreover, public access around the swamp would not create any security issues for the wind farm, because the turbines and access roads are located far above the wetland. 

It is regrettable that a publicly-owned wetland site with such ecological values still does not have the highest form of legal protection.

Key Issues

Key issues relating to the Opau Wetland are as follows:

Despite its considerable ecological importance, it does not have reserve status
Although it is public land, public recreational access is still restricted; yet such restriction is not required for the security of the wind farm to be operated on ridge tops high above the wetland.
Over the years, the swamp and forest ecosystems of the Opau Valley have been unnecessarily damaged by wandering stock.
Although the wetland is currently owned by Meridian Energy, its key values are ecological, and it does not have obvious energy production potential.  .
 Recommendations to the Government for protection of the Opau Wetland

We formally request the Government to initiate the following steps:

Designate the whole of the Opau Wetland and adjacent vegetation around the rim of the wetland as a Nature Reserve in terms of the Reserves Act 1977.
Permanently remove all sheep and other introduced stock animals (such as sheep) from the site, by fencing off the site.
Implement an ongoing pest animal control plan to control possums on the site.
Set in place a plan to provide for unrestricted public walking and cycling access within (say) three years, including the creation of formal walking tracks around the wetland, well away from any wind turbines.
 

Legal ownership

A secondary issue is the legal ownership of the site.  As part of the process of fully protecting the Opau Wetland, there would need to be discussion as to the most sensible ongoing legal ownership of the wetland site.  This discussion would need to involve local authorities, conservation organisations which could play a role in the stewardship of the site, and Meridian itself.   It seems unlikely at this stage that Meridian Energy would be the optimum long term legal owner of the site, due to Meridian’s commercial objectives as a State Owned Enterprise.  However, the identity of the legal owner of the wetland is less important than securing its full protection.

Conclusion

SEA hopes that the Government will find it possible to take positive action in response to this request, and we would be keen to be involved in any process that you may initiate to explore the issues and requests which we have raised.

We are copying this letter to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the Department of Conservation (Wellington), Wellington Botanical Society, the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society (Wellington), Quartz Hill Reserve Charitable Trust, Meridian Energy Limited, and various news media for their information.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Robert Logan and June Epsom

Secretary and Chairperson

Southern Environmental Association

ends

© Scoop Media