Conservation values, research and New Zealand's responsibilities for the Southern Ocean Islands and Antarctica

Abstract

New Zealand has direct responsibility for the conservation and protection of five subantarctic island groups (Snares, Bounty, Antipodes, Auckland and Campbell), all of which are protected within National reserves. New Zealand also claims the Ross Dependency in Antarctica sharing conservation responsibility with others within the Antarctic Treaty regime. The subantarctic islands' ecosystems are of interest for their range of species, for their dependence on marine nutrients, for their vulnerability to introduction by alien species, and for illustrating the outcomes of independent evolutionary experiments. Each is characterized by a unique assemblage of plant and animal species, of which the diversity of oceanic birds (especially their albatrosses, petrels and penguins) and of the changes with latitude of their vegetation cover is internationally regarded. They form an interesting contrast to the sparse biota of the Balleny Islands and continental Antarctica. The fauna and flora on these subantarctic islands are now substantially catalogued and the impact of alien species in part understood, but ecological studies have been hampered by isolation and difficult access. Ecological research is needed to ensure that management strategies for each island are well founded on an understanding of their individual ecosystems. By way of contrast, ecological research has flourished in Antarctica with many long-term programmes. This difference is attributed to the way research is promoted and supported in the two regions.