The Southland montane grasslands, also known as the South Island montane grasslands, is a

montane grasslands and shrublands Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

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 ...

’s

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. The ecoregion covers the middle portion of the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

, and includes extensive alpine grasslands, fellfields, and montane forests.

Geography

The Southern Alps extend for 500 km, running northeast–southwest down the length of the South Island.

Aoraki/Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as . It sits in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourit ...

(3,754 m), New Zealand's highest peak, is in the Southern Alps. Rainfall is high along the western slope of the mountains, while the eastern slopes are generally drier.

Flora

Alpine grassland, also known as tussock herbfield, is the dominant plant community in the ecoregion. Alpine grasslands grow above the

treeline The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

at approximately 1200 meters elevation. Tussock grasses, mostly of genus ''

Chionochloa ''Chionochloa'' is a genus of tussock grass in the family Poaceae, found primarily in New Zealand with one known species in New Guinea and another on Lord Howe Island (part of Australia). Some of the species are referred to as snowgrass. Most of ...

'', are characteristic. These grasses are mostly long-lived slow-growing perennials. The broadleaved snow tussock ('' Chionochloa flavescens'') and '' Chionochloa pallens'' are common on young and well-drained soils, and '' C. rigida'' is more common on the drier eastern side of the mountains. The smaller curled snow tussock ('' C. crassiuscula'') becomes prevalent at higher altitudes. Herbaceous perennial plants are interspersed with the tussock grasses, including speargrasses (''

Aciphylla ''Aciphylla'' is a genus of about 40 species of plants in the family Apiaceae, endemic to New Zealand and Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of ...

'' spp.), sedges (''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

'' spp.) and ''

Ranunculus ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe ...

'' buttercups, notably '' Ranunculus lyallii'', the world's largest buttercup. Montane forests of southern beech (''

Nothofagus ''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere in southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and Australasia (east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Gui ...

'') grow below the treeline. Mountain beech (''Nothofagus solandri cliffortoides'') is common on steep hillsides, and evergreen

silver beech ''Nothofagus menziesii'', commonly known as silver beech ( mi, tawhai, tahina), is a tree of the southern beech family endemism, endemic to New Zealand. Its common name probably comes from the fact that its bark is whitish in colour, particularly ...

(''Nothofagus menziesii'') and

red beech Red beech is a common name applied to several species of trees: *'' Dillenia alata'', native to Northern Australia and New Guinea *'' Fuscospora fusca'', native to New Zealand *''Protorhus longifolia ''Protorhus longifolia'', the red beech, is ...

(''N. fusca'') are prevalent in valleys and lower hillsides. On the western slopes, mixed silver beech–

podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pre ...

forests and podocarp–

southern rata ''Metrosideros umbellata'', the southern rātā, is a tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to or more tall with a trunk up to or more in diameter. It produces masses of red flowers in summer. Unlike its relative, northern rātā, this spec ...

(''Metrosideros umbellata'') forests are common. The transition from montane ''Nothofagus'' forest to alpine grassland is generally abrupt. In the west, a belt of dense woody shrubs, including ''

Dracophyllum traversii ''Dracophyllum traversii'', commonly known as mountain neinei, grass tree, and pineapple tree is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is a deciduous tree (or, in some cases, a shrub) endemic to New Zealand. It reaches ...

'', forms a more gradual transition between the montane forests and alpine grasslands. The shrubs snow tōtara (''Podocarpus nivalis''), '' Hebe'' spp., and ''

Coprosma ''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Copros ...

'' spp. grow near the tree-line.

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to several of New Zealand's endemic birds, including the

New Zealand rock wren The New Zealand rock wren (''Xenicus gilviventris'') is a small New Zealand wren (family Acanthisittidae) endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Its Māori names include ("little complaining bird"), , and ("twitch", after its bobbing moti ...

(''Xenicus gilviventris''),

kea The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wings ...

(''Nestor notabalis''),

great spotted kiwi The great spotted kiwi, great grey kiwiDavies, S. J. J. F. (2003) or roroa (''Apteryx haastii'') is a species of kiwi endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. The great spotted kiwi, as a member of the ratites, is flightless. It is the large ...

(''Apteryx haastii''), and southern subspecies of

New Zealand kaka New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

(''Nestor meridionalis meridionalis'').

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 12,035 km², or 5%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas include Eyre Mountains/Taka Ra Haka Conservation Park, Mavora Lakes Stewardship Area,

Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Aspiring National Park is in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, north of Fiordland National Park, situated in Otago and Westland regions. The park forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. Geography Establis ...

Nelson Lakes National Park Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was formed after the passing of the National Parks Act in 1952. It was created in 1956 (one of four created in the 1950s). The park co ...

Westland Tai Poutini National Park Westland Tai Poutini National Park is a national park located on the western coast of New Zealand's South Island. Established in 1960 as Westland National Park to commemorate the centenary of the European settlement of Westland District, it ...

Arthur's Pass National Park Arthur's Pass National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand and covers 1,185 km2 of mostly mountainous terrain. Adjacent to it lies Craigieburn Forest Park. History Arthurs Pass National Park was established in 19 ...

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand. Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, and the eponymous village lie within the park. The area was gazetted as a national park in October 1953 and consists ...

, Craigieburn Forest Conservation Park, and

Adams Wilderness Area Adams may refer to: * For persons, see Adams (surname) Places United States *Adams, California *Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California *Adams, Decatur County, Indiana *Adams, Kentucky *Adams, Massachusetts, a New England town ...

.UNEP-WCMC (2020). Protected Area Profile for New Zealand from the World Database of Protected Areas, September 2020. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net

References

External links