The Awarua Wetland is a
peatland
A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All types ...
area of in the
Southland Region
Southland ( mi, Murihiku) is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. It includes Southland District, Gore District and the city of Invercargill. The r ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. The site, which was initially an area of about , was designated as having international significance under the
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
in 1976, using the name Waituna Wetlands Scientific Reserve.
Conservation Minister
Steve Chadwick
Stephanie Anne "Steve" Chadwick (née Frizzell, born 15 December 1948) is a New Zealand politician. She served as mayor of Rotorua from 2013 to 2022. She previously held the positions of Minister of Conservation, Women's Affairs, and Associat ...
unveiled a plaque at New River Estuary on 4 May 2008. This wetland is unique in New Zealand as it includes privately owned ground (Gamble, Nicol, and Rance families).
On the northeast corner of the Toetoes Wetlands is an area of native bush of approximately , which along with other areas of bush close by was covenanted to the QEII Trust by the Nicol Family. While not a true wetland it is an area of natural vegetation with an unmodified stream flowing from the wetlands through native brush and into the Mataura river. It is a small sanctuary for the declining native fresh water fish population.
Intensive farming
Intensive agriculture, also known as intensive farming (as opposed to extensive farming), conventional, or industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, both of crop plants and of animals, with higher levels of input and output per unit of ag ...
in the catchment for the wetland has raised fears that the
Waituna Lagoon
__NOTOC__
The Waituna Lagoon is on the southern coastline of the South Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the Awarua Wetland, a Ramsar site that was established in 1976. It gives it name to waituna, a type of ephemeral coastal lake.
The la ...
, which is a part of the wetland, may soon begin to suffer from
eutrophication
Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...
.
See also
*
Wetlands of New Zealand
New Zealand has several notable wetlands but 90% of wetland areas have been lost following European settlement.
The Resource Management Act 1991, the major Act of Parliament determining land use, defines wetlands as "permanently or intermittentl ...
*
Washdyke Lagoon
Washdyke Lagoon is a brackish shallow coastal lagoon approximately north of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. The lagoon has drastically reduced in size since 1881 when it was approximately , now it is less than in area. It is enclosed by a ...
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Awarua Wetlandsat the Department of Conservation
Waitunaat Environment Southland
Ramsar sites in New Zealand
Wetlands of Southland, New Zealand