Conservation week theme - Understanding bugs

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 396, 23 July 1991, Page 2

Conservation week theme - Understanding bugs

If it won't hurt you, don't hurt it. That's one of the important messages to be promoted during conservation Week 1991, from July 28 to August 4. Conservation Week 1991 is dedicated to "Mighty Midgets and Tiny Tyrants" and during the week New Zealanders will be encouraged to explore the world of smaller living things around them. "Too often our first reaction to insects and other small animals we consider a nuisance or a threat is to stomp on them", says Department of Conservation public relations manager Keith Johnston. "Often we kill these organisms simply because we consider them ugly and therefore frightening. Many of these creatures are the ones we live most closely to, and yet know least about," Mr Johnston says. The Department of Conservation and Instant Kiwi have pub-

lished a booklet. "Look The Leaves", to introduce New Zealanders to insects and small invertebrates, and to outline the Conservation Week themes. The booklet is available free from Instant Kiwi outlets nationwide. Small organisms are associated with our lives day and night, inside and out. In and around our homes and gardens live thousands of tiny creatures which can make these places quite exciting if people have the right attitude. In New Zealand there are more than 20,000 different insect species, hundreds of species of native snails and other invertebrates. Of the insects, there are more than 70 species of Weta for example. "Throughout Conservation Week, people will be encouraged to actively seek out small animals in a variety of places," Mr Johnston says. New Zealanders will be encouraged to recognise that small things

matter, and indeed, they have an important role to play in a biological ecosystem. "Living things depend on and interact with each other and with their environment", Mr Johnston says. "Small organisms play a very important part in making our planet livable." The Department of Conservation points to recycling as probably the invertebrates single greatest contribution to the smooth running of the natural system. "Bees provide us with honey, and many. plants depend on insects to spread their pollen from flowers to form seeds." Small organisms, es-

pecially insects, are often thought of as pests, but this is not always true. "Most often the creatures which are a problem because they were introduced to New Zealand without any natural predators," Mr Johnston says. He cites wasps and giardia as examples. Conservation Week 1991 will be officially launched by the Minister of Conservation Denis Marshall in Auckland on July 26. At a local level, network of Conservation Week representatives and local committees are involved in promoting the theme.

In the Tongariro/Taupo area, school children have received resource kits encouraging schools to make insect farms, to adopt a bug and write stories The Department of Conservation has organised a "junk beetle" competition. The creature has to be made from recycled materials and must also come with a written explanation of its habitat and life cycle. Instant Kiwi has also marked the occasion by publishing a new series of Kiwi Treasures tickets based on the "Mighty Midgets and Tiny Tyrants theme".