PRESERVATION OF FORESTS.

Shannon News, 3 April 1928, Page 2

PRESERVATION OF FORESTS.

AND PROTECTION OF BOARDS

In a foreword, entitled “Birds and Forests,” to the latest Bulletin of the N.Z. Native Bird Protection Society appears the following thoughtful summary of the ideals animating the organisation: — “Man in his eagerness endeavours to take all. Many can only see as an ultimate aim a .land covered with grass, fruit trees, crops, and those things which bring us riches. _ Alas for such, .the vision is but a mirage. The best man can do for his own welfare is to help nat'ure maintain an Accurate balance between friend and foe and harvest the balance. His greatest and most active enemy, yet withal the most hidden, is the insect pest. Its natural enemy is the bird. Some birds exact a toll. Puy thi3 Wage vvilingly, and reap the reward in lessened devastating losses by insert and disease pests. . Nearly all birds feed their young on insects, anu many never eat anything else. When the white man arrived in New Zealand seeds grew with little or no cultivation. Fruit grew wil'd and in great quantity for the first few years. Nalture seemed glad and eager to produce for our well being. New Zealand was known then as the land of bifids. With poison, guns, cats, weasels, ants and all manner of weapons we have slain the birds. Now we hear every day of the farmers ’ hardships and the inroads of pests to our food supplies. We have unduly slain much of our forests unnecessarily and in ignorance of .the uneconomic results. No nation can exist, let alone prosper, without a sufficiency of forests. Conservation is in your interests and is your business.” The progress report of the Society states that the list of absolutely protected birds as set forth in “The Animals Protection Act, 1921-22, ” includes all our rareslt and somc < of our economically most valuable birds “The Adt does not, however, state do finitely whose business it is to enforce the conditions, and we have been unable so far to fix the responsibility. The Department on whieh responsibility falls primarily has .no apparent, means of checking poaching and other breaches of the Act with reference to these .Absolutely Protected Birds. , Further, all, the income from wild life sources appears to be set aside in the interests of game-bird and fish conservation,- excepting a half share of possum skin royalties allocated to the State Forest Service for the purpose of destroying goats, deer, etc. This latter, now amounting to a large sum, awaits utilisation. Our most valuable birds arc thus left out in the cold. The State Forest Service, so far as their special reservations are concerned, some Acclimatisation Societies, and occassionally the Police, interest themselves, but the whole matter of enforcing the conditions of the Act, so far as these specially listed birds are concerned, appears extremely vague, and certainly requires elucidation, as the present "state of affairs is not conducive to the conservation of native birds, 1 other than native .game birds, and to the enforcement of the Act so .far as they arc concerned. Moreover, conservation can never be effective unless administered by those possessing a foresit and nature sense in addition to a practical knowledge • gained by per : sonal contact,” comments the Society.