Get to know your wild neighbours

25 May 2007

Get to know your wild neighbours

South Coast residents are invited to meet some of their more elusive neighbours and learn of plans to enhance their well being.

They come in all shapes and sizes, have some unusual habits and homes, and are as wild as you can get. But with protection, the marine creatures which inhabit Wellington’s south coast can “spread their love” and enhance New Zealand’s marine environment.

The community can discover more about plans to protect their wild city neighbours at a Marine Reserve Open Day at the Island Bay Surf Club between 1 and 5 pm on June 3. The Department of Conservation is hosting the event in conjunction with Victoria University of Wellington’s Centre for Marine Environmental and Economic Research. It will provide an opportunity to brief the public on progress with the proposed Kupe/Kevin Smith Reserve, which will protect the south coast marine environment from later this year. Local divers, marine experts and DOC staff will be on hand to answer questions.

Research being undertaken by Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Biological Sciences highlights the benefits of marine protection, which includes the spillover effect of protected populations into surrounding areas.

Sharing the love is how this is described by VUW marine researchers Dr James J. Bell, Pelayo Salinas de Leon and Dr Jonathan Gardner from the Centre for Marine Environmental and Economic Research Centre.

“Although adults and juveniles (of such species as paua, rock lobster and snapper) may not move that far from the reserve boundaries, there is the potential for their larvae to travel long distances and seed distant populations.”

Their research is in the early stages, but they are investigating how far planktonic larvae move from a reserve, and how much species interaction will occur between the Kupe/Kevin Smith Marine Reserve and the two nearest marine reserves at Kapiti Island and Long Island.”

They say understanding how ‘connected’ marine reserves are with other populations is important in the development of protected-area networks, and for the sustainability of conservation efforts and biodiversity protection in the future.

“Our marine reserves may be an important source of larvae to areas that have been impacted by human activities.”

ENDS

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