Download Wetlands of Southland - Environment Southland

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Invercargill
c i t y
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“ C I T Y O F WAT E R A N D L I G H T ”
Inve
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Wetlands
Of Southland
ll
•
A Guide for Maintaining and Enhancing
t h e Va l u e s o f o u r We t la n d A r eas
Southland
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New
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Wetlands are one of the most valuable ecosystems on earth truly amazing biological resources which are essential to the
functioning of our world. They are also one of the most
vulnerable ecosystems in the world. This booklet introduces
you to wetlands, describes the many threats that they face
and provides information on how to nurture the wetlands in
your area. Southland has many significant wetland areas,
some of which are internationally important. We hope to
foster a greater understanding and an appreciation for our
wetland areas so that they will continue to be part of the
landscape for future generations.
Tim Shadbolt
Frana Cardno
Mayor, Invercargill City Council
Mayor, Southland District Council
Ted Loose
Owen O’Connor
Chairman, Environment Southland
Mayor, Gore District Council
Within the Invercargill City District
Guidelines are available for:
• Otatara - Sandy Point Bushcare
• Forest Remnants
• Coast care
page 1
contents
Introduction
3
What is a wetland?
3
spillages of toxic substances
13
1.Why Are Wetlands So Important?
4
Livestock grazing and trampling
13
Wetlands are ‘cradles of biodiversity’
4
Introduced plants and animals
13
Wetlands are habitats
4
An acceleration in sea level rise
13
Wetlands are natural ‘supermarkets’
4
Consequences of wetland loss
13
Wetlands are part of the hydrological cycle
4
4.Good Land Use Practices
14
Wetlands are filters
4
Fence off vulnerable areas from stock or
Wetlands are carbon sinks
4
restrict entry of stock
Wetlands are buffers
4
Avoid the creation of drainage ditches or
Wetlands are a cultural heritage
5
Wetlands are a recreational resource
5
Wetlands provide research opportunities
5
Wetlands are economically important
5
2.Important Wetlands
6
Coastal wetlands
7
Swamps
7
and wetland conservation
15
Peatlands
8
Learn how to identify wetland plants
16
Alpine wetlands
9
Become iInvolved in a landcare group
16
Wetland sequences
9
Legally protect your wetland area
16
Agricultural, industrial, and domestic effluent and
runoff, drift from top dressing and accidental
14
impenetrable barriers in wetland areas
14
Provide a buffer around the wetland
14
Consider how your landuse activities may
impact on a nearby wetland
14
Control plant and animal pests
15
Enhance a wetland
15
Avoid conflict between recreation/tourism
Wetland restoration and creation
10
5.Wetland Plants
17
3.Threats to our Wetlands
12
Estuarine plants
17
Swamp plants
19
Peatland plants
21
Alpine plants
23
Pest plants in wetlands
25
Important Contacts
28
Further Reading
28
Glossary
29
Acknowledgments
29
Index to Plants
30
Conversions through drainage, reclamation,
filling and clearance
12
Rubbish dumping
12
Harvesting of sphagnum moss
12
Fire
12
Tourism and intensive recreational use
12
Modification of natural hydrological
characteristics
12
page 2
introduction
This booklet is about the wetlands within the Southland
Wetlands are dynamic ecosystems which undergo constant
region. It is presented in five parts. This section introduces
change naturally - they are very sensitive to changes in
you to what wetlands are and their importance as part of the
climate, water availability, disturbance and land use. They
natural environment.
can be either permanently or seasonally wet.
Section 1 describes the importance of wetlands. Section 2
Wetlands in Southland are widespread and diverse,
describes the varied wetlands of Southland. Section 3
supporting distinctive communities which contribute to the
discusses threats to wetlands. Section 4 provides tips on
unique biological and geographic character of the region.
how to care for wetland areas. Section 5 describes and
In the not too distant past, wetlands were unfairly and
illustrates some of the key plants that grow there, both native
inaccurately portrayed as wastelands. Over 90% of New
and introduced.
Zealand’s wetlands have been drained in the last 200 years
What is a Wetland?
to make way for industry, agriculture and urban
A wetland is a place where the ground is permanently or
development. This is one of the largest wetland losses
periodically wet and which supports a natural ecosystem of
anywhere in the world. Wetlands now occupy only about
plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions.
2% of the total land area of New Zealand.
Wetlands occur from the coast to the mountains. Some
In Southland, it is estimated that intact wetlands have been
wetlands are shallow pools or estuaries, where there is
reduced by 37% since European settlement. This
enough light penetration for underwater plants to grow.
percentage would however be significantly higher if it
Others may look outwardly dry, with a reservoir of water just
weren’t for the numerous untouched wetlands in Fiordland
beneath the surface.
and Rakiura (Stewart Island) National Parks.
Wetlands occur in a wide variety of habitat types including
Today, wetlands continue to be threatened. However, they
coastal lagoons and estuaries; flood plains and valley floors
still have a vitally important role to play in maintaining a
(rivers and lakes); and alpine areas. There are also created
healthy and functioning environment.
wetlands such as farm ponds, wastewater ponds, gravel pits
and stock water reservoirs. Wetland types also differ
according to local conditions such as topography, soil,
fertility and whether they are salt or freshwater.
page 3
why are wetlands so important?
Wetlands are ‘cradles of biodiversity’
Wetlands are filters
• There is a great diversity of wetland types and
• Wetlands filter out toxins and wastes from water,
communities. Each has its own distinct character.
acting like human kidneys. Agrichemicals tend to
• Wetlands also contain one of the greatest diversities of
adhere to sediments and wetland plants trap this
wildlife and have the highest proportion of endangered
species of any terrestrial habitat on earth.
sediment thus reducing water pollution.
• Wetlands also remove nutrients such as nitrogen and
• They are also important ‘genetic reservoirs’ for certain
phosphorus from water which helps to prevent
species of plants.
eutrophication (build up of excess nutrients leading to
• Biodiversity is essential to the healthy functioning of the
environment.
Wetlands are habitats
• Large numbers of New Zealand’s native fauna, including
algal blooms).
• Wetlands can be used in the final stages of sewage
treatment.
• The nutrients stored by wetlands are released as
temperatures cool and plants die down in winter, when
some that are in danger of extinction, depend on
eutrophication is less likely to occur.
wetlands as their habitat.
• Of all the natural habitats in New Zealand, wetlands
support the greatest concentration of bird species.
Wetlands are carbon sinks
• Wetlands, and especially peatlands, accumulate carbon
and so are a carbon sink.
Wading birds feed on the rich invertebrate fauna and
juvenile fish species and roost near the high tide mark of
• Peatland areas are one of the greatest carbon sinks in
coastal wetlands. Waterfowl such as ducks, swans and
the world. If they remain healthy they continue to
geese dabble in ponds and feed on aquatic plants or
accumulate, however if developed the peat
sieve through sediments for seed and invertebrates.
decomposes, releasing carbon.
• Wetlands also harbour a large proportion of our native
• Forest accumulates carbon while growing, only to
release it when harvested or when trees die.
flora.
Wetlands are natural ‘supermarkets’
• Coastal wetlands are vital for at least part of the life
cycle of more than 30 species of the fish we eat,
including whitebait, sole, flounder and eels. Estuaries
also support shellfish beds.
• Coastal wetlands have higher rates of productivity than
any other New Zealand habitat (including irrigated crop
production land).
Waihopai River Wetland
Wetlands are part of the hydrological cycle
• Wetlands retain and release water in a controlled
fashion.
Wetlands are buffers
• Wetlands act as buffers between open water and
land, stopping excess nutrients or sediments getting
• Wetlands soak up floodwater, diminishing the effects of
into water and water damaging the land through
floods downstream.
erosion.
• Wetlands lessen the severity of drought conditions on
adjacent land.
• Coastal wetlands have an important role in
buffering land from the effects of sea level rise
• Wetlands are important for groundwater recharge and
and the increased severity of storms likely to be
discharge.
page 4
Wetlands provide research opportunities
associated with global warming.
• Wetlands show what large parts of Southland and New
• Coastal wetland vegetation reduces the energy of
Zealand used to be like.
waves and stabilises eroding coastlines, helping to
• Wetlands are excellent examples of the functioning of
enhance coastal water quality.
ecosystems and are valuable for the study of biology.
• Roots of wetland plants hold sediment in place,
• Within the soils, vegetation fragments can trace the
preventing erosion of valuable residential or
vegetation and hence climates of the area. Wetland
agricultural land and property damage.
sediments contain pollen and accumulated plant
Wetlands are a cultural heritage
material, layed down in sequence. Studying and dating
• Wetlands have a prominent place in the traditional and
this material can show what grew at and around the site
contemporary society of local maori (Ngai Tahu
in the past, providing a vegetation history.
Whanui). Wetlands are often venues for the
preservation and teaching of traditional matauranga
Wetlands are economically important, for:
(knowledge).
• Water supply (quantity and quality)
• Wetlands are important threads in the history of Ngai
• Erosion control
Tahu Whanui. Many important events took place at or
• Fisheries
near wetlands.
• Agriculture (maintenance of water tables and nutrient
• Wetlands are traditional places for Maori food gathering
reduction in floodplains)
(mahinga kai). For example, Tuna (eel); Kanakana
• Energy resources (peat and plant matter)
(lamprey); Mata (whitebait); Kokopu (native trout); Whio
• Wildlife resources
(blue duck); Patiki (flounder); Koradi (flax flower) and
• Recreation and tourism opportunities.
Ti kouka (cabbage tree).
• Maori also use wetland plants such as Harakeke (flax),
Toitoi and Raupo (bullrush) for a variety of purposes
including clothing; Kete (baskets); Uare (houses) and
Mokihi (rafts). Some kinds of wetland mud are also used
to dye clothing such as Piupiu.
• Place names around Southland also provide historical
information about wetlands. For example, Waituna
(waters of eel); Waikakahi (waters of the fresh water
mussel); Waiharakeke (flax waters); Tussock Creek;
Boggy Burn and Flaxy Creek.
Wetlands are a recreational resource
• Wetlands are important recreational areas, enjoyed by
many naturalists, fishermen, whitebaiters, waterfowl
hunters and those engaged in other water sports.
• They are also growing in importance as tourist attractions
because of their scenic qualities and abundant wildlife.
Dracophyllum Manuka Wirerush
page 5
important wetlands
Did you know that Southland contains one of the first places
The following pages describe Southland’s many
in the world to have a wetland officially recognised under
wetlands, grouped into the main types - coastal,
the Ramsar convention, when the Waituna Wetland was
peatlands, swamps and alpine. Wetlands are
registered in 1976? The Ramsar designation recognises the
however very complex systems and often a single
importance of this particular wetland internationally.
wetland type will be found in association with
another type. Wetland restoration and creation
also takes place around the region and some of
the projects are discussed.
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Waimatua Creek
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Awarua Plains
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Waituna Lagoon
Awarua
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Toetoes
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What is the Ramsar Convention?
The Ramsar Convention, formally known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as
Waterfowl Habitat, was signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. It is an intergovernmental treaty promoting the protection and
wise management of wetlands and their resources. New Zealand became a party to the convention in 1976 and each
year on 2 February we join the rest of the world in celebrating World Wetlands Day to mark the anniversary of the
signing of the convention.
page 6
Coastal Wetlands
Where there is farmland next to a coastal wetland, a wet
New River Estuary, Awarua Bay, Waikawa Harbour, Jacobs
pasture community of salt-tolerant grasses may form between
River, Toetoes Harbour, the Waiau River mouth and Waituna
dry pasture and the wetland.
Lagoon, are some of the many estuarine and lagoon areas of
Good examples of intact coastal sequences can be seen at
Southland. These coastal areas support a diversity of wetland
Haldane Estuary, Daffodil Bay, the Bushy Point Educational
communities.
Boardwalk on Grant Road at Otatara, and at the head of
Some coastal wetlands are also known as salt marshes
Waikawa Estuary.
because of their saline influence. Salt marshes form around
estuaries or lagoons where they experience regular inundation
Swamps
by sea water. They exhibit a tidal zonation where plants with
Swamps range from areas of open freshwater such as lake
the most salt tolerance grow in the zone with the most tidal
and riverine edges to wet pasture, pond margins and
inundation and less salt tolerant plants grow where they are
backwashes.
only occasionally reached by salt water or spray. At the
Swamps are associated with fertile land and exist on valley
lowest zones, the plant community comprises eel grass beds.
floors with water running through them from upstream
The next level includes succulents (plants adapted to high salt
sources. As a result, swamps have been more extensively
levels in the environment) such as glassworts. The mid zones
modified by land development than any other wetland type.
contain a ‘salt meadow’ community. Most salt marshes
include an upper zone of tall sedges, rushes and some shrubs
which have their bases submerged when the tide is in.
Salt marsh species are not limited to estuaries. They can also
be found on headlands above the sea because of wave
splash and sea spray. These are called coastal turfs.
Mini-wetlands may also form in the hollows between sand
dunes, known as ‘dune slacks’. Dune slacks, such as those at
Oreti Beach in Invercargill, Waipapa Beach and Masons
Bay, Stewart Island are formed where the wind has eroded
sand down to the level of the water table. The plant
Redcliff Wetland
communities that grow there may include creeping plants or
solid turf and patches of rushes or sedges.
Valley floor between the Mavora Lakes
Valley floors with swampy areas, such as those between the
Mavora Lakes, were once common throughout Southland.
Small patches can still be found on farmland. The types of
plants that grow in swamps include purei and other sedges,
flax, manuka, red tussock, toetoe and cabbage trees.
Redcliff Reserve below Manapouri, is an extensive area of
shallow water with swampy vegetation. In 1977, Fish and
Game New Zealand developed this area for the benefit of
wildlife. The wetland is protected by an open space
covenant under the Queen Elizabeth II Trust. The wetland
Masons Bay, Rakiura (Stewart Island)
page 7
provides an open water area of approximately 50 ha and is
Peatlands differ from freshwater swamps - the soil
home to a great range of waterfowl and other wetland
is peat, has low fertility, is more or less permanently
species. It also has the highest number of longfinned eels of
saturated with water and is anaerobic.
any waters in the lower Waiau catchment.
As a result they lack the organisms that decompose
The gravel pit ponds near Oreti beach, north of Dunns
organic matter. Consequently, peatlands are
Road, are an example of where lowland wetland swamps
expensive to develop and have survived as the
have been artificially created through disturbance. It is an
dominant wetland type in Southland.
important area for waterfowl such as mallard duck, grey
In locations where drainage is impeded or the
duck, Australasian bittern, little shag and pied stilt during
groundwater level is high, peat can accumulate above
breeding.
the surrounding ground surface, eventually forming a
Kakapo Swamp in the Te Anau Basin and Lake Brunton
gently curving dome. This feature is referred to as a
south of Tokanui are wetlands that contain flax swamps.
“raised peatbog”. Many raised peatbogs are scattered
Areas like these once provided for a major flax fibre mill
across the Southland Plains, the Taringatura Hills, and the
industry. Today flax swamps are rare in Southland
Te Anau Basin.
Swamp forest of kahikatea was once widespread on the
flood plains of Southland and are now all but gone.
Important remnants still exist at Thomsons Bush along the
Waihopai River, Invercargill and Turnbull Bush, Tussock
Creek.
Peatlands
Some of the largest and most important wetlands are the
nationally and internationally important areas of peat bogs
Raised peatbog
or peatlands. The extensive peatland/wetland complex of
the Awarua Plains including Seaward Moss, Waituna
The Dunearn peatbog in Western Southland is an
Lagoon (a wetland of international importance), Toetoes
excellent example of a raised peatbog. The area has
Harbour and Awarua Bay is rated as nationally important.
recently been acquired by the Department of
Waituna peatland is one of the most significant waterfowl
Conservation from a private owner, through the Nature
habitats in New Zealand, being home to fernbirds and the
Heritage Fund, with assistance from the Southland
Australasian bittern, as well as other native animals including
District Council. Restoration is planned at the site as the
skinks, the giant kokopu (Galaxias species) and a
area has been significantly modified through drainage.
range of moths, grasshoppers and beetles.
Peatlands have a range of communities, including
manuka shrublands, wirerush-tangle, fern-swamp
inaka-manuka, red tussock-flaxland, rushland,
sphagnum hollow and pools. The most extensive of
these communities is the wirerush-tangle.
Fernbird at Waituna Wetlands
page 8
Alpine Wetlands
Southland is unique through the presence of typically alpine
Alpine wetlands exist in mountain environments with high
or subalpine wetland plants in lowland areas. Subalpine
rainfall, cloud cover and colder temperatures. They are
wetland species found in the Waituna area include cushion
frequently found in snow tussock landscapes and have a
bog, sky lily, comb sedge, sundews, gentians and several
high diversity of plants and animals. Vegetation commonly
other species.
comprises short plant communities with cushion forming
plants, sedges, sphagnum and herbs (for example, sedges,
buttercups and mountain daisies).
Alpine wetlands are relatively unaffected by human impacts
in comparison with their lowland counterparts. As a result,
they function naturally and often have a direct influence on
Cushion bog (Donatia novae-zelandiae) at Waituna
maintaining water flows in the headwaters of river
catchments.
Wetland Sequences
The Garvie Mountains in Northern Southland support
In their natural state, wetlands are part of an ecological
significant alpine wetlands. The area contains extensive
sequence of native vegetation, which includes grasslands,
tussocklands dominated by snow tussock. These are mixed
shrublands, and forests. There are several examples of
with herbfields, cushion bogs, sedgeland-mossfields,
remnant wetland sequences in the Southland region.
sometimes with patterned pond systems, or adjacent to
The Awarua Plains/Seaward Moss area contains a diverse
lakes or tarns.
range of wetland communities and sequences including
Fiordland and Rakiura (Stewart Island) National Parks
estuary mud-flats, salt marshes, peatlands, shallow pools,
frequently support unaltered alpine herbfields, cushionfields
tarns and seepages, wire rushlands and manuka shrublands.
and other wetlands in areas above 800-1000 metres.
Tiwai Peninsula is characterised by red tussock grassland
An excellent opportunity to view various tarns and diverse
and flaxlands. On the eastern end of the peninsula, the
alpine wetland plant communities is provided on a track
tussock grassland grades into a wetland-peatland closely
from the Borland Saddle car park (the summit of Borland
connected to the Ramsar Waituna Wetland, with plants such
Road), through the bush, to the top of Mt Burns.
as wirerush, jointed rush, mingimingi, flax, toetoe, manuka,
cabbage trees, willowherbs and water milfoil.
Jointed Rush and Totara
Southland also supports sequences from alpine tops to
rockfields, snowbanks, tussocklands with wetlands into
forest. An example of this type of sequence is found in the
Garvie Mountains.
Borland Saddle, Mt Burns
page 9
Sequences from swamp and peatland areas to shrublands
of wetland creation around Southland include
then forest are also present at Toetoes Swamp, Freshwater
duck ponds, stock water reservoirs, forestry fire
Valley in Stewart Island and in areas of Fiordland
ponds, and waste water treatment ponds.
(for example, Amoeboid Swamp).
Planting a variety of species can enhance wetland
environments and encourage insects and birds from
other wetlands. The Southland Community Nursery
at Otatara, Environment Southland and Fish and
Game New Zealand can provide advice on suitable
plants when creating or restoring wetlands.
As well as enhancing landscape values, created and
restored wetlands provide habitat for waterfowl, game
birds, native birds and plants. They also assist with
maintaining good water quality and help safeguard
Wetland Sequence at Bushy Point
water levels in ground and/or surface water during dry
summers.
The only place in Southland where the intact zonation from
estuary to forest still exists, and can be viewed easily, is at
Bushy Point. Here the zonation passes from coastal wetland
Specific examples of restoration projects and created
wetlands in the region include:
dominated by jointed rush, through shrubland of manuka or
New River Estuary - Former Refuse Disposal Site
mingimingi and marsh ribbonwood, gradually merging with
The Invercargill City Council is working on enhancing
podocarp forest containing kahikatea, matai, totara, and rimu.
the old Refuse Disposal Site at the New River Estuary
A feature of this area is the ease with which elusive fernbirds
by landscaping and planting it out with native plants.
can be seen and heard. It has been proposed that the Bushy
Point wetland be included in the Ramsar designation of the
Waituna wetland and the New River Estuary.
Some of the sequences mentioned are considered to be of
regional if not national importance. Intact and diverse
sequences are now uncommon in lowland New Zealand.
Wetlands Restoration at New River Estuary
Wetland Restoration and Creation
Waihopai Dam Wetland
Environment Southland, Invercargill City Council, Southland
The construction of the Waihopai Detention Dam east
District Council, Gore District Council, Department of
of Racecourse Road provided the opportunity to
Conservation, Fish and Game New Zealand and other
create a wetland environment. Environment
agencies and community groups are all involved in wetland
enhancement, restoration and creation in Southland.
Southland and school groups have been involved in
planting the edges of the pond created by the dam
Wetlands can be created or modified using
with swamp plants such as flax, tussock, toetoe
weirs, embankments or dams. They are generally
and cabbage trees. The area is fenced off from
smaller in size than their natural counterparts,
stock and attracts waterfowl as well as sustaining
with fixed water levels. Some less obvious examples
fish and eels.
page 10
Riversdale Wastewater Treatment System
Waiau Fisheries and Wildlife Enhancement Trust
The Southland District Council has carried out planting and
The objectives of the Trust are the protection, creation,
wetland creation in conjunction with the Riversdale
restoration and enhancement of fisheries and wildlife
Wastewater Treatment System. The wetland has been
habitats in the Waiau Catchment. This includes protection
designed to improve effluent quality while also providing
of existing wetlands through fencing subsidies, agreements,
a wetland habitat.
and creation of new wetlands. The largest project to date is
Rakatu Wetland. The development will result in the creation
Using Gravel Extraction to Restore Oxbow Lakes
of a 45 ha open water wetland amongst 60 ha of existing
Degraded or lost river wetland habitats on riverbeds are
wetlands on land that is currently developed pasture. The
being restored in Southland through gravel extraction.
Rakatu development adjoins the existing Redcliff Wetland.
Environment Southland provides advice on extraction of
Te Koawa
Turoa
- o Takitimu (Jericho Block),
gravel to restore wetland habitats such as degraded or
destroyed oxbow lakes. The lakes are restored through
Redcliff Valley
extracting gravel at a range of depths and edge forms.
Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust is an independent Trust
This provides productive deep and shallow wetland habitats.
promoting and enhancing the relationship of Ngai Tahu
people with the mahinga kai resources of the Waiau
catchment. The Trust promotes wetland habitat development
using traditional techniques to encourage the return of
indigenous wildlife species. Wetland restoration projects at
the site include creation of two ponds in an existing
diversion channel, widespread removal of weeds and
planting of native plants.
Restored Oxbow adjacent to the Oreti River
Duck Pond Creation
Fish and Game New Zealand provides free surveying and
advice to those interested in pond creation and
management. Fish and Game Council has surveyed over
1,000 wetland developments in Southland. Most
Southlanders who visit and interact with wetlands do so
Duck Pond
while hunting for waterfowl on private land. Despite being
relatively small and developed to provide habitat for
waterfowl, these wetlands provide important habitats for a
great range of other wetland species while also ensuring
wetlands are present where they otherwise might not be.
page 11
threats to our wetlands
This section describes the threats to our remaining wetlands
Harvesting of sphagnum moss
and how to care for them in the future.
• Uncontrolled harvesting of sphagnum moss,
while providing income, removes an important
The traditional view of wetlands as wastelands is changing,
component of the wetland and leads to its
as we better understand how they contribute to our
degradation.
environment. However, wetlands in New Zealand continue
to be threatened directly and indirectly by a number of
Fire
factors including:
• During dry weather, wetland vegetation and peat
are flammable and can burn for a long time.
Conversion through drainage, reclamation, filling
Peatland fires are very hard to put out.
and clearance for:
• Agriculture, horticulture or forestry
Tourism and intensive recreational use
• Industrial and residential development
• Walking and driving in wetland environments
• Solid waste disposal
can place pressure on the ecological system which
• Roads
attracts people there in the first place.
• Channelised water courses
• Alpine systems are particulary slow to recover from
These activities may smother the wetland through increased
amounts of sediments, lower water quality or quantity, and
may ultimately destroy the wetland.
damage.
Modification of natural hydrological
characteristics, through
Rubbish dumping
• Construction of sea walls and stopbanks
• Destroys scenic values and can endanger the wildlife
• Damming and diversion of water courses
present. Potential for leaching of pollutants from rubbish
• Groundwater abstraction
to contaminate wetland and water.
• Irrigation schemes
• Fragmentation by roads, 4WD tracks
• Drainage ditches
Vehicle Damage at Sandy Point
page 12
Agricultural, industrial and domestic effluent and
Consequences of Wetland loss
runoff, drift from top dressing and accidental
• Decline or extinction of wetland plants and animals
spillages of toxic substances
and decrease in biodiversity
• Although wetland plants can trap pollutants, once levels
• Decline in catches of commercial fish species
get too high for them to cope algal blooms occur,
dependent on wetlands for life-cycle (for example:
shellfish become contaminated (coastal wetlands),
whitebait, flounder)
vegetation can become dominated by weeds and
• Change in water regime - increased
wildlife may die. The death of wetland plants from
destructiveness of droughts and floods
pollution can lead to erosion as soils are no longer held
• Degradation of water quality
together by the plants.
• Loss of free services - (for example, water
purification, flood control)
Livestock grazing and trampling
• Loss of cultural heritage and customary rights
• Deer, goats, sheep and cattle can all damage wetland
• Loss of recreational and tourism
plants and the stability of the wetland, degrading and
opportunities
causing loss of habitat. They destroy bird breeding and
roosting sites and fish spawning areas, and lead to
Without collective responsibility for our wetlands, many may
erosion and sedimentation.
soon be lost forever. While it is now the poor, developing
Introduced plants and animals
countries that are losing wetlands at the fastest rate, it is
• Often out-compete native plants and modify wetland
countries like New Zealand which have the resources and
expertise to take the lead in wetland conservation.
habitats so they are no longer suitable for species
that rely on them. For instance, the introduced plant
Spartina both out-competes native coastal wetland
plants and builds up the level of tidal flats, driving
native species out. It also colonises more or less
bare mud flats and reduces the area available for
wading birds to forage in.
An acceleration in sea level rise
• Under predicted sea level rise, wetlands will slowly
drown unless they can retreat inland, keeping pace
with the rate of sea level rise. Ironically, the
destruction of wetlands and other indigenous
ecosystems releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide,
one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global
warming. Yet another reason to help save our
wetlands.
page 13
good land use practices
The future of wetlands depends on careful management of
Provide a buffer around the wetland
these resources. Today, lowland and coastal wetlands that
To help the wetland, leave a buffer between
have not been modified are rare. However, even those
productive land and the wetland, avoid drains
wetlands that are modified are a significant social,
within the wetland itself, avoid over-draining in
economic and ecological resource. While the list of threats
the summer and do not divert streams feeding
looks enormous, there are many things that we can do to
the wetland.
improve the health of our wetlands. It is important to
remember that wetlands are part of an interlocking chain of
ecosystems, affected by everyday land use practices in
surrounding areas.
There are a number of good land management practices
that protect the integrity of wetlands including:
Fence off vulnerable areas from stock or restrict
Wetland with buffer zone
entry of stock
It is amazing what an improvement fencing out cattle makes
Consider how your landuse activities may impact
to a wetland environment. Once cattle are no longer
on a nearby wetland
wandering through a wetland, wetland plants may once
Most of us do not set out to damage wetlands.
again grow, and there will be associated improvements in
Unfortunately, because wetlands are so highly sensitive
water quality, stability of wetland edges and sediment
retention. Occasional or restricted entry of sheep to wetland
areas may be beneficial in terms of keeping the growth of
to the land uses surrounding them as well as what is going
on within them, our everyday activities can impact on
them. There are, however, many things you can do to
pasture grasses under control. Money to assist landowners
help. For instance:
with the cost of fencing may be available from the
• If you need to spray weeds on your property, try not
Invercargill City Council and Environment Southland.
to spray close to a wetland or on a windy day
National land protection agencies such as the Nature
where spray could drift; instead remove weeds by
Heritage Fund or the Queen Elizabeth II Trust may also have
hand or mechanically from around a wetland to
funding.
avoid contamination of the water.
Avoid the creation of drainage ditches or
• To avoid excess nutrients finding their way into the
impenetrable barriers in wetland areas
wetland, ensure that any discharges from domestic
Drainage ditches running through or around wetlands
or agricultural land uses to soil (including fertiliser
significantly alter water flow patterns, leading to degradation
application) take place well away from the
of the wetland. Changes in water circulation in a catchment
wetland edge.
• Avoid burn-offs in areas close to wetlands,
surrounding a wetland disrupt the ecosystem a reduction of fresh water reaching a wetland can increase
especially during drier times of the year, as they
salinity causing some plant species to die, or it can eliminate
might spread into the wetland.
the wetland as the land dries out. Roads and stopbanks
• Avoid planting of certain exotic plant species
without adequate culverts can cut off wetlands from water
(such as forestry trees, willows, silver birch,
sources.
rowan, holly etc) nearby as they can easily
spread and modify the wetland.
page 14
• Biological control: currently being looked at for oxygen
• Block any drains within or adjacent to the wetland that
weed - Spartina is controlled this way overseas.
are not required.
• Chemical control: for particularly persistent weeds - in
• When undertaking mechanical drain maintenance or
clearance do so outside of the wetland - also make sure
these cases particular care must be taken because of the
that the machinery is clean so that it does not bring in
danger of contaminating wetland system and water. Ask
weed seeds and try to prevent the movement of weed
for advice from Environment Southland, the Department
seed.
of Conservation or a garden centre.
Enhance a Wetland
Planting of native wetland species around the edge of a
wetland will help to make it more healthy and also more
attractive. You can also consider how the wetland
ecosystem fits in with the rest of the environment. Wetlands
are healthiest when they are connected to other natural
ecosystems such as scrub and native forest. “Ecological
corridors” provide shelter and encourage native animal
species to move between different areas, increasing species
richness. Gullies containing wetland areas can be planted
Flax at Sandy Point Ponds
out in species such as cabbage trees, flax, red tussock and
Control plant and animal pests
toetoe. Coastal forest and scrub often naturally adjoin
For animals, pest specific bait stations can be set up and
coastal wetlands and are important as buffers as well as
there are various traps available. Contact Environment
providing shelter and food for wetland animals.
Southland for advice. For plants, only undertake control if
Planting of riparian areas along stream sides will help
you are sure of the identity of the weed and report any new
maintain or improve the water quality and instream habitat.
weeds you see spreading quickly to the Department of
Conservation or Environment Southland. No one method for
Creating ponds in wet areas creates habitat for waterfowl
control works with all pest plants and in all conditions which
and provides amenity values. Ponds can be made by
is why it is a good idea to use a number of different
damming small watercourses or by digging, but a resource
methods in combination. The options available, individually
consent may be required. For advice contact Environment
or together, include:
Southland or Fish and Game.
• Mechanical clearance:
Avoid conflict between recreation/tourism and
- Some younger or smaller weeds can be pulled out
wetland conservation
of the ground by grabbing them at the base and
The more a wetland is enhanced, the more attractive it
making sure that the roots are pulled out cleanly
becomes to visitors, with enhanced birdlife and wetland
- Lay matting down over weeds blocking waterways
to suppress light
- Woody weeds can be chopped down - often the
scenery. To ensure that this extra attention does not
detract from a wetland’s values, tracks in the wetlands
should be carefully located to avoid sensitive areas and
cut base needs to have chemical applied to stop
birds roosting. Boardwalks are an excellent way of
resprouting
viewing a wetland without trampling wetland plants and
destroying the habitat of native birds.
page 15
Learn how to identify wetland plants using the guide
provided in this booklet as a start and notify the
Department of Conservation of any sightings of rare or
endangered plants or animals.
Become involved in a landcare group and start a
restoration scheme. There are many resources available
to get you started (see further reading section) and you
can get advice on wetland restoration programmes from
the Department of Conservation, Environment Southland,
Fish and Game or your local authority.
1. You can sell or gift the land to an
organisation for protection purposes, or
2. You can enter into an agreement with
Department of Conservation, the Queen
Elizabeth II National Trust, or local authorities.
A covenant means that you will retain ownership
and the wetland will be managed according to an
agreement between you (or a future landowner)
and the covenanting agency. It also means that you
can ask for funding for things like surveys, legal and
Legally protect your wetland area
fencing costs, or apply to the local authorities for rates
Wetlands can be placed under legal protection to ensure
relief. Other funding sources for protecting your
that your wetland remains protected even if it changes
wetland include the Nature Heritage fund, or for the
ownership. Legal protection ensures that your conservation
owners of Maori land, Nga Whenua Rahui. For
achievements will continue, usually in perpetuity.
further advice, contact Department of Conservation, the
There are two main ways of protecting your land
in the long term:
Southland Branch of Fish and Game Council or Queen
Elizabeth II National Trust.
Kahikatea and Pond Creation
page 16
Wetland Plants
Estuarine Plants
It takes a special type of plant to be able to withstand
constant or intermittent waterlogging. This section describes
some of the plants that are found in the wetlands of
Southland.
Also described in this section are plants, which have been
identified as “pests”. If unchecked, pest populations can
increase to the point where they cause major environmental
damage.
Eelgrass/Nana (Zostera novaezelandica)
For further information on pest plants refer to Environment
Eelgrass/Nana (Zostera novaezelandica)
Southland’s “Regional Pest Management Strategy, May
Form:
2002”. A hierarchy of designations has been developed in
Leaves: Grass-like, olive green
the Pest Management Strategy and these designations are
Flowers: Tiny
referred to in this booklet. The designations are defined in
Found: In silty or tidal mud flats, estuaries, where it is
Grass-like swards
submerged during high tide
the Glossary.
Glasswort/Ureure (Sarcornia quinque-flora)
Form:
Succulent herb with prostrate woody stems to
30 cm long, can form creeping mats
Stems:
Erect fleshy, jointed, cylindrical stems forming low
clumps. Green, grey-green or reddish
Flowers: Tiny, in groups
Found: Salt marshes, submerged at each tide, coastal cliffs
and banks
Glasswort/Ureure (Sarcornia quinque-flora)
Selliera/Remuremu (Selliera radicans)
Form:
Creeping herb forming extensive mats or carpets
Leaves: Fleshy, glossy, alternate, variable size,
narrowly to widely spoon shaped
Flowers: Many lopsided, white, half flowers, scented
Fruit:
Fleshy
Found: Salt marshes, turfy banks, dune hollows and
lakeshores
Selliera/Remuremu (Selliera radicans)
page 17
Native celery/Tutae koau (Apium prostratum)
Sea primrose (Samolus repens)
Native celery/Tutae koau (Apium prostratum)
Sea primrose (Samolus repens)
Form:
Form:
Creeping to sprawling herb, often forming
Leaves: Bright green, glossy, much divided
large carpets
Stems:
Resembles miniature garden celery
Flowers: Tiny, white, in clusters (umbels)
Tough, dark and slender, sometimes with
Found: Upper salt marsh, damp sand, turf banks,
ascending or erect shoots
gravels or cliffs
Leaves: Slightly fleshy, spoon shaped, brown-green
Flowers: White, star-like
Found: Coastal turf, saltmarsh and rocky
places in reach of saltspray
Dwarf plantain (Plantago triandra)
Form:
Small flattened, shiny, hard textured rosettes,
usually in colonies
Leaves: Thick, dark green, often with black blotches,
brittle in exposed places
Flowers: Tiny, borne deep within the leaves
Found: Coastal slack and turf flushed grassland.
Some distance inland in damp red tussock,
Dwarf plantain (Plantago triandra)
grassland and grassy wheel ruts
Knobby clubrush/Wiiwii (Isolepis nodosa)
Form:
Stiff rush-like clumps
Stems:
Tall, thin, shiny, wirelike, unjointed
Flowers: Crowded, brown spikelets
Fruit:
Distinctive clusters of dark coloured seed
heads
Found: Grows in wet coastal areas but also
dunes and headlands
Knobby clubrush/Wiiwii (Isolepis nodosa)
page 18
Saltmarsh ribbonwood, Makaka (Plagianthus divaricatus)
Oioi/Jointed wirerush (Leptocarpus similis)
Saltmarsh ribbonwood, Makaka (Plagianthus divaricatus)
Oioi/Jointed wirerush (Leptocarpus similis)
Form:
Divaricating, densely tangled deciduous shrub
Form:
Dense, erect, wiry clumps up to 1.5m tall
to 2m tall
Stems:
Wire-like, jointed, dull grey-green, orange and
Stems:
Spindly, interlacing with small leaves
purple in parts
Flowers: Small, cream, fragrant
Leaves: Dark bands around stem
Fruit:
Flowers: Rush-like, in tight clusters (spikelets brown or grey) at
Small, round, hairy
Found: Along margins of salt marshes, dune hollows
or near the top of the stem
and coastal gravels
Found: Bordering salt marshes and estuaries, tidal rivers,
inland lakes, lowland swamps. Often found in
large patches in the zone behind where glasswort
grows
Swamp Plants
Mingimingi (Coprosma propinqua)
Purei/Makura (Carex secta)
Purei/Makura (Carex secta)
Form:
Harsh, spreading tussocks on trunk-like bases,
up to 1.5m tall
Leaves: Thin (3-7mm), cutty, drooping
Flowers: In spikes
Found: Widespread in swamps and up to 900m
Mingimingi (Coprosma propinqua)
Form:
Dense bushy shrub reaching 3-5m tall but with
large variations in size and form
Stems:
Grey
Leaves: Dark green, shiny, varying in shape and size
Fruit:
Translucent, whitish, pale blue or with dark blue
flecks
Found: Swamps, bogs, dunes, lake and river margins,
rocky spurs, coastal wetlands, forest margins and
marble and limestone cliffs
page 19
Red tussock (Chionochloa rubra)
Toetoe (Cortaderia richardii)
Red tussock (Chionochloa rubra)
Toetoe (Cortaderia richardii)
Form:
Form:
Leaves: Long, rigid, rolled, red brown
Very robust tussock, coarse, one or more metres tall
1-1.5m tall tussock
Leaves: Long, grasslike, green, rough to touch
Flowers: Large spikelets
Flowers: Heads reach up to 2m tall, white and feathery
Found: Wet hollows and poorly drained valley floors
Found: In swamps and slips, coastal banks, stream sides,
river gravels, hillsides and sand dunes
Flax/harakeke (Phormium tenax) and
Mountain flax/wharariki (Phormium cookianum)
Form:
Robust, fan-like clumps of leaves, 1-3m tall,
mountain flax generally smaller than flax
Leaves: Long, fibrous. Mountain flax more droopy
Flowers: Stalk 3-5m tall, reddish or orange-yellow
flowers, greenish in mountain flax
Fruit:
Dark seed capsule - twisted, hanging pod in
mountain flax and erect straight pod in flax,
Flax/harakeke (Phormium tenax)
both with glossy black seeds
Found: Mountain flax is found amongst tussock and
Flax Flower
shrub in the mountains and on exposed coasts
on Stewart Island and Fiordland. Lowland flax
is found in damp and poorly drained land.
Also commonly planted as a shelter plant
Cabbage tree/Ti kouka (Cordyline australis)
Form:
Small tree, 12-20m. Unbranched trunk in
young tree and branching in the upper half
of the older tree
Bark:
Grey, thick, corky and rough
Leaves: Mass of long leaves (up to 1m) at the top
of the tree
Flower: Sweet scented, white, in heads
Cabbage tree/Ti kouka (Cordyline australis)
Fruit:
Whitish berries
Found: Around the damp edges of lowland
wetlands
page 20
Tuffed hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
Tuffed hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
Form:
Tufts, patches, or spreading green swards
Cushion bog (Donatia novae-zelandiae)
Cushion bog (Donatia novae-zelandiae)
Form:
across
Leaves: Slender and sharply pointed
Leaves: Overlapping at edges, glossy, bright green
Flowers: In spikelets
Found:
Very compact raised cushions, 50cm or more
Threatened grass found in swamps, estuaries
and damp stream sides
Flowers: Small, solitary, white
Found: Lowland bogs to alpine wetlands. Now very
restricted in Awarua Plains wetlands and is
localised and very uncommon in Invercargill area.
Normally grows in the sub-alpine zone
Peatland Plants
Wirerush (Empodisma minus)
Wirerush (Empodisma minus)
Manuka, Tea-tree (Leptospermum scoparium)
Form:
Rush-like herb, wiry, dark green carpets or
scrambling a metre or more up among bases
Manuka, Tea-tree (Leptospermum scoparium)
of taller plants
Form:
Large shrub or small tree, up to 8m in height
Stems:
Bark:
Stringy grey-brown bark, peels off in long strips
Flowers: Small spikelets
Leaves: Small, prickly to touch
Found: Lowland to alpine bogs, swamps and damp scrub
Flower: Masses of white flowers
Fruit:
Many branched
Characteristic woody seed capsules
Found: Widespread
page 21
Turpentine shrub/inaka (Dracophyllum longifolium)
Blue sun orchid (Theylmitra cyanea)
Turpentine shrub/inaka (Dracophyllum longifolium)
Blue sun orchid (Theylmitra cyanea)
Form:
Form:
Leaves: Linear, pale green, stiff and pointed
Ground orchid, 20-50cm high
Shrub or tree 1-2 m tall, branches erect
Leaves: Narrow, fleshy
Flowers: Creamy white, in erect or drooping inflorescences
Flowers: Deep blue, streaked with darker blue lines,
Found: Often on peaty soils, including bogs
white and creamy yellow in the centre
Found: Bogs, boggy shrubland, wet ground
under manuka
Scented sundew (Drosera binata)
Form:
Erect, tufted herb, covered in sticky hairs to
entrap small insects
Leaves: Reddish, forked
Flowers: Creamy, several at top of stalks up to 50cm tall
Fruit:
Very small capsules
Found: Wet ground and bogs
Scented sundew (Drosera binata)
Bladderwort (Utricularia monanthos)
Form:
Tiny, delicate plant
Stems:
Erect and very slender, white creeping stems
bear tiny leaves and even tinier compressed
white bladders, 1-3cm tall
Flowers: Purple with yellow “eye”, single or
occasionally two
Leaves: Tiny, narrow and green
Bladderwort (Utricularia monanthos)
Found: Low altitude bogs, shallow tarns,
lakesides and shallow streambeds
among moss
page 22
Alpine Plants
Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum cristatum)
Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum cristatum)
Form:
Pale green to yellow brown, deep, sodden
cushions
Alpine Daisy (Celmisia alpina)
Found: On very wet ground in forest, scrub, shrubland
Alpine Daisy (Celmisia alpina)
and open bogs from sealevel to alpine areas
Form:
Small tufted herb
Leaves: Narrow thin leaves, pointed, hairless, grey-green
above, white below
Flowers: Stems 3-5cm long, white petals, yellow center,
1.5-2cm diameter
Found: Low alpine areas, confined to bogs
Buttercup (Ranunculus foliosus)
Form:
Compact, hairy rosettes variable in size and leaf
shape
Leaves: Firm, hairy, 2 -3cm wide, oval shaped, jaggered
edges in three lobes
Flowers: 15 -20mm diameter, bright yellow, on hairy stalk
Found: River terraces, forest margins, flushes, and
bog margins
Buttercup (Ranunculus foliosus)
Daisy leaved gentian (Gentiana bellidifolia)
Form:
Stout rooted herb, may be singular or branched
Leaves: Thick almost fleshy overlapping leaves
Flowers: White single flower or 2-6 flowers together in tight
flat-topped head, bell shaped
Found: High altitude tussock grasslands and herbfields
Daisy Leaved Gentian (Gentiana bellidifolia)
page 23
Comb/Cushion sedge (Oreobolus pectinatus)
White caltha (Caltha obtusa)
Form:
White caltha (Caltha obtusa)
Form:
Comb/Cushion sedge (Oreobolus pectinatus)
Lower leaves pressed against ground with
distinctive upright rosette, leaves deeply
Low growing creeping herb, forming
divided, leaf-like stipules, large orange sheaths
mats
on flower stems
Leaves: 1-3cm long, broad, upturned
Leaves: Deeply divided to prominent yellow midrib,
Flowers: Sweet scented white flower, 2-3 cm
with a pair of leaf-like stipules on each
diameter
Flowers: Stem 30 cm tall, large orange sheaths on
Found: Alpine stream sides, permanently wet
flower stem
hollows, snow banks
Found: Alpine, stream sides, wet depressions and
snow banks
Bog speargrass (Aciphylla pinnatifida)
Form:
Very dense low lying tuffs, forming hard
circular cushions up to 50 cm in diameter
Leaves: Distinctly arranged in one plane with
broad veined sheathing
Flowers: Single spiklets, which are inconspicuous
among leaves
Found: Alpine bogs, herb moors, sometimes in wet
depressions among tussock grasslands and
herb fields
Bog speargrass (Aciphylla pinnatifida)
Sky lily (Herpolirion novae-zelandiae)
Form:
Tufts
Flowers: Conspicuous for size of plant, pale to sky
blue,creamy white toward centre with
orange anthers
Leaves: Blue green, rather stiff, grass like
Found: Low altitude to montane damp open
shrubland, boggy and sandy ground
Sky lily (Herpolirion novae-zelandiae)
page 24
pest plants in wetlands
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Form:
Scrambling multi-stemmed spiny bush
Leaves: Compound, toothed leaflets, prickly
Flowers: Single, white-pink flowers
Fruit:
Fleshy edible fruit
Seeds:
Seeds spread by birds
Threat: Stems will root when in contact with the soil
Smothers native herbs and shrubs
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Surveillance Plant
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Form:
Sharply spined, densely branched shrub, deeply
rooted, up to 4m high
Leaves: Prickly, dark green
Flowers: Yellow flowers
Threat: Pioneer plant, can colonise just about anywhere.
Seed pods ‘explode’ distributing the seed. Fire
hazard. Long-lived seed bank
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Total Control Plant in urban areas of Southland,
and Containment Plant elsewhere in the region.
Refer to Appendix 1 of the Regional Pest
Management Strategy
Spartina (Spartina angilica)
Form:
Grows up to 1m tall in shallow saltwater. Colonies
of spartina form dense grassy clumps and extensive
swards
Leaves: Broad and pointed from the base to the top
Seeds:
Contained in top of stem. Spreads easily by seeds
floating on water or shoots sprouting from below
Spartina (Spartina angilica)
ground
Threat: Introduced to New Zealand to ‘reclaim’ tidal flats,
this perennial estuarine grass spread very quickly to
other coastal areas where it built up the level of the
flats so that they were no longer tidal, removing
habitat for fish and invertebrates - the food sources
for coastal birds. In Southland large scale efforts
are being made to get rid of it
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Total Control Plant throughout the region
page 25
Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Crack willow (Salix fragilis)
Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Form:
Erect shrub up to 3m high. Many branches
Crack willow (Salix fragilis)
with ribbed green stems
Form:
Tree, with brittle yellow twigs, dark brown bark
Grows to 15 to 25m or can remain as shrub
Leaves: Small, in threes, close to stalk
Leaves: Broad, flat, simple shaped, pale on lower
Flowers: Bright yellow, pea like
surface, approximately 1 to 4cm wide
Threat: Tolerant of cold and low fertility soils. Also has
Threat: Unwanted spread can clog waterways,
‘exploding’ seed pods. Similar to gorse, but in
more open land. Not strictly a problem of
contribute to flooding through restricting flow,
wetlands, but a problem around the edges
reduces the variety of flows and alters the
ecology of a waterway
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Total Control Plant in urban areas of Southland,
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
and Containment Plant elsewhere in the region.
A strategy for crack willow is in development
Refer to Appendix 1 of the Regional Pest
Management Strategy
Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica)
Form:
Brittle and erect woody shrub up to 2m tall
Leaves: Small, needle-like, densely cover plant
Flowers: White inflorescences
Seeds:
Small, in capsule, easily dispersed by wind
Threat: Forms dense stands on disturbed and bare
sites. Can alter short, open indigenous
scrub communities and tussock grassland
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Surveillance Plant
Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica)
Oxygen weed/Lagarosiphon (L. major)
Form:
Freshwater herb, grows submerged in water
Leaves: Spiralled, on a much branched stem
Threat: Spreads from broken pieces, infestations
restrict recreational activities, suppresses
other desirable species and impedes
water flow
Classification in Regional Pest Management
Oxygen weed/Lagarosiphon (L. major)
Strategy:
Total Control Plant throughout the Region
page 26
Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii)
Form:
Evergreen woody shrub, with thorns, up to 4m tall
Leaves: Dark green, glossy and spiny
Flowers: Yellow-orange flowers hanging in clusters
Fruit:
Dark purple/black berry, seeds bird-dispersed
Threat: Shade tolerant and grows rapidly in an open
environment. Can form impenetrable prickly
barriers
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Total Control Plant within the Stewart Island,
Tuatapere and Te Anau wards and Surveillance
Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii)
Plant elsewhere
Grey willow (Salix cinerea)
Form:
Small tree up to 7m high
Leaves: Shiny on upper surface, covered
with soft grey hairs underneath
Threat: Can become dominant vegetation,
excluding other vegetation, often found growing
in swamps, riverbanks and wet areas behind
coastal dunes.
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Grey willow (Salix cinerea)
Surveillance Plant
Reed sweet grass (Glyceria maxima)
Form:
Large grass plant up to 3m tall
Likes to live in moist areas such as the edge
of waterways and ditches
Leaves: Long, broad, erect
Threat: Dense growth impedes water flow, smothers all
other vegetation and causes sedimentation and
flooding. Also prevents whitebait from spawning
and known to poison cattle
Classification in Regional Pest Management Strategy:
Surveillance Plant
Reed sweet grass (Glyceria maxima)
page 27
Important Contacts
Southland Community Nursery
For further information and advice on wetland care and how
Contact: Chris and Brian Rance
you can get involved, refer to the list of agencies below.
185 Grant Rd, Otatara
Bushy Point Educational Boardwalk
Contact: Ian and Jenny Gamble
Phone: 03 213 1161
Website: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rances/
197 Grant Rd, Otatara
Southland District Council
Phone: 03 213 1302
15 Forth Street, Invercargill
Access to boardwalk by prior arrangement
PO Box 903 Invercargill
Department of Conservation
Southland Conservancy Office.State Insurance Building
All enquiries phone: 03 218 7259
Website: www.southlanddc.govt.nz
Don St, PO Box 743, Invercargill
All enquiries phone: 03 214 4589
Website: www.doc.govt.nz
Environment Southland
Corner North Road and Price St, Waikiwi, Invercargill
Further Reading
All enquiries phone: 03 215 6197 or 0800 768 845
Bill, A. (1999) Significant Natural Areas - Invercargill
Email: [email protected].
City District. Report prepared for the Invercargill
Website: www.envirosouth.govt.nz
City Council.
Fish and Game New Zealand, Southland Region
Crisp, P. (1986) Coastal Wetlands. Nature
159 North Road, Invercargill
Conservation Council, Wellington.
All enquiries phone: 03 215 9117
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fishandgame.org.nz
Cromarty, P. (1996) A Directory of Wetlands in New
Zealand. Department of Conservation, Wellington.
Gore District Council
Crowe, A. (1995) Which Coastal Plant?: A Simple
29 Civic Avenue, Gore
Guide to the Identification of New Zealand’s Common
PO Box 8, Gore
Coastal Plants. Penguin Books
All enquiries phone: 03 208 5091
Dawson, J. and Lucas, R. (1996) New Zealand Coast
Website: www.goredc.govt.nz
Invercargill City Council
Resource Management Division or the Parks Division of the
Invercargill City Council. Civic Administration Building
101 Esk St, Private Bag 90104, Invercargill.
and Mountain Plants, their communities and lifestyles.
Victoria University Press.
Dugan, P. (1993) Wetlands in Danger. A World
Conservation Atlas. Oxford University Press, New York.
All enquiries phone: 03 211 1777
Environment Southland (May 2002) Regional Pest
Website: www.icc.govt.nz
Management Strategy.
Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
Johnson, P and Brooke, P. (1998) Wetland Plants in
National Office, PO Box 3341, Wellington
New Zealand. Manaaki Whenua Press.
Call free: 0508 QE2 TRUST (0508 732 878)
Southland Region Contact: Gay Munro
Mokotua, RD5, Invercargill
Mark, A.F and Adams N.A (1973) New Zealand
Alpine Plants. A.H and A.W Reed Ltd
Phone: 03 239 5827
Wilson, H.D (1982) Stewart Island Plants - Field
Website: www.converge.org.nz/ntsth
Guide. Field Guide Publications, Christchurch.
page 28
Glossary
Algal Bloom :
An excessive proliferation of algae in a
Total Control Pest: a pest that is of
water body, usually associated with
limited distribution or density in
higher than normal nutrient levels
the region.
Anaerobic:
Requiring oxygen free conditions to live
The goal is eradication
Biodiversity:
Overall diversity of native species and
Riparian:
Of or on the bank of a river or lake
ecosystems
Sedimentation:
The process whereby matter settles to
Carnivorous plant: A plant that digests trapped insects or
the bottom of a liquid
other animal substances
Sequence:
Colonising species: A species of plant that is able to
Community:
Divaricating:
Ecosystem:
one another
establish itself in a new area
Sward:
An expanse of short grass
A group of plants growing together in
Tarn:
A relatively small and deep,
the same area
steep-sided lake or pool occupying an
Intertangled stems spreading at wide
ice-gouged basin amid glaciated
angles
mountains
A biological community of organisms
Zonation:
and their physical environment
Fruit:
Ripened ovary containing seeds
Habit:
General appearance of plant
Habitat:
The natural home of an organism
Indigenous:
Native to an area, not introduced
Leaching:
A liquid permeating (or filtering)
Bands of singular or multiple
plant species
Wetland Types:
Simplified terms have been used in this
booklet to classify wetlands.
The detailed framework for classifying
New Zealand wetlands is available on
the National Wetlands Trust website:
through some material
Oxbow Lake:
A set of things belonging next to
www.wetlandtrust.org.nz
A deep pool of still or slow flowing
water in an abandoned meander loop
of a river
Perennial:
Lives for more than two years
Acknowledgments
Pest Plants:
As defined in the Regional Pest
The following people and organisations, are acknowledged
Management Strategy:
for providing information and help with the preparation of
Containment Pest: a pest that is
this booklet:
abundant in suitable habitats in the
region. The goal is to prevent adverse
• Department of Conservation
effects and the pest spreading to new
• Fish and Game New Zealand, Southland Region
areas or neighbouring properties, and,
• Te Ao Marama Inc
if practicable, reduce the area affected
• Chris and Brian Rance
Surveillance Pest: a pest of concern to
• Wynston Cooper
the region, but there is no requirement
for the land occupier to control
Written and compiled by:
these pests
Hovell Environmental Planning
page 29
Index to Plants
Page
Alpine daisy (Celmisia alpina)
23
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
25
Bladderwort (Utricularia monanthos)
22
Blue sun orchid (Theylmitra cyanea)
22
Bog Speargrass (Aciphylla pinnatifida)
24
Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
26
Buttercup (Ranunculus foliosus)
23
Cabbage tree/Ti kouka (Cordyline australis)
20
Comb/Cushion Sedge (Oreobolus pectinatus)
24
Crack willow (Salix fragilis)
26
Cushion bog (Donatia novae-zelandiae)
21
Daisy leaved gentian (Gentiana bellidifolia)
23
Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii)
27
Dwarf plantain (Plantago triandra)
18
Eelgrass/Nana (Zostera novazelandica)
17
Flax/harakeke (Phormium tenax)
and Mountain flax/wharariki (Phormium cookianum)
20
Glasswort/Ureure (Sarcornia quinque-flora)
17
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
25
Grey willow (Salix cinerea)
27
Knobby clubrush/Wiiwii (Isolepis nodosa)
18
Manuka, Tea-tree (Leptospermum scoparium)
21
Mingimingi (Coprosma propinqua)
19
Native celery/Tutae koau (Apium prostratum)
18
Oioi/jointed wirerush (Leptocarpus similis)
19
Oxygen weed/Lagarosiphon (L. major)
26
Purei/makura (Carex secta)
19
Red tussock (Chionochloa rubra)
20
Reed sweet grass (Glyceria maxima)
27
Saltmarsh ribbonwood, Makaka (Plagianthus divaricatus)
19
Scented sundew (Drosera binata)
22
Sea primrose (Samolus repens)
18
Selliera/Remuremu (Selliera radicans)
17
Sky lily (Herpolirion novae-zelandiae)
24
Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica)
26
Spartina (Spartina angilica)
25
Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum cristatum)
23
Toetoe (Cortaderia richardii)
20
Tuffed hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosas)
21
Turpentine shrub/inaka (Dracophyllum longifolium)
22
White caltha (Caltha obtusa)
24
Wirerush (Empodisma minus)
21
page 30
Go
re
•
Inve
r
c
a
rgill
•
Southland
Lead Agency
I nv e r c a r g i l l
city
council
“ C I T Y O F WAT E R A N D L I G H T ”
•
Invercargill City Council
Private Bag 90104
Invercargill 9520
New Zealand
Phone (03) 211 1777
Fax (03) 211 1431
nd
ala
Ze
New