THE NATIONAL RESERVES

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1928, Page 6

THE NATIONAL RESERVES

The report submitted to the Government by Dr. A. W. Hill, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, should prove of great value to the Government in shaping its future policy in regard to the preservation and exploitation of tl.: flora of the Dominion, but there are some features that are quite impracticable, and to which effect cannot be given. For instance, he suggests that the director of the National Botanic Gardens he recommends should 9e appointed to take charge of the proposed national arborium and botanic gardens, should also be chairman of the boards, or have some direct control over the management of the national reserves. His reason ie to prevent the recurrence of such mistaken acts as the introduction of heather into the Tongariro Park, which, unless eradicated without delay, will destroy the park as a national rccerve of native vegetation. He also said he was grieved to hear that goats were making serious ravages on the native vegetation. The position in regard to the heath at Tongariro has been recently fully explained by the chairman (Mr. J. B. Thompson) in the Daily News, following Dr. Hill’s first statement in regard to the matter, and it would appear that the Board is fully alive to the danger, and has been, and is, taking all possible measures to deal with the eradication of the exotics. But ho a National Botanic Director is going; to direct this or any other national park is hard to see. It ie all a matter of money. If Tongariro bad the financial means it could soon eradicate the heath, which, it ie freely admitted, should never have been introduced. Similarly if the Egmont Park Board were assured of an annual grant for a number of years it could effectively deal with the goat menace. If a Botanic director controlled the board he would be helpless without adequate financial means. But the management of national park reserves is not confined to the preservation of the flora. There «re a' great many details to attend to in the administration of their affairs, and much personal attention and service required not only of the chairman, but of each member of the boards, if they are to successfully function. An outsider, as a botanic director must necessarily be, would be completely out of touch with the affairs of the reserves and his colleagues on the board. But that it would be advisable to maintain, a liaison between the director and the boards, and to agree upon the principles to be followed in the administration and direction of the reserves, there, cannot be any doubt. Working together nothing but. good would result, and no mistake like the introduction of exotics amongst the native flora would be again possible. But the interests of the reserves would suffer greatly if Dr. Hill’s suggestions were adopted. With national reserves over the whole of the Dominion, running in to over two million acres, it would be quite impossible for any one. man to gain the local knowledge necessary to do justice to the work, which, as we have said, involves a good many things other than the preservation of the native flora, and much personal attention on the part of the executives. Another recommendation Dr. Hill makes will provoke a good deal of opposition from those who have an intimate acquaintance with the facts of the position. He suggests that the Forestry Department should be given charge of the scenic reserves “in order,” he says, “that they may be taken proper care of by expert men, who w-ould be competent to keep them in proper order.” So far as Taranaki is concerned, no one would like the Scenic Board at present administering the reserves to be displaced in favour of the Forestry Depa.tment. In the first place the chairman and members are all enthusiasts who take a live and keen interest in their gratuitous work, and do full justice to it. In this they are only following, the splendid example set by farseeing, public spirited men like the late Mr. Percy Smith and Mr. W. H. Skinner, to whom the province is mainly indebted for the setting aside of the scenic reserves. The Forestry Department eould not give the personal attention to the work that men living in the district can, and have not the local knowledge to do what is best in the interests of the reserves. To give the department charge would therefore be a retrograde step, and one which, it it hoped, will not be taken by the Government. The botanic director, however, could co-operate with the boards adnunut tering these reserves, as with' the nations reserves like Egmont and Tongariro, a’ d I so ensure a uniform and continuous policy.