SANCTUARIES ARE THE FOUNDATION OF CONSERVATION

Forest and Bird, Issue 8, 1 March 1925, Page 11

SANCTUARIES ARE THE FOUNDATION OF CONSERVATION

The object of sanctuaries or refuges, as the Americans and Canadians call them, is of course to give the birds a safe retreat to prosper and breed. Where the sanctuary is of sufficient area the services of a skilled keeper are necessary. The duties of this keeper or keepers are to destroy all vermin, to breed artificially any species, when necessary, to prevent poaching, collecting, etc., and generally to look after the conservation of his charge. Needless it. is to say such work requires very considerable knowledge and skill. The birds quickly find out such a haven of safety; and the vermin find out what a plentiful food supply there is in the sanctuary, and are thus attracted from the surrounding country only to be destroyed by the keepers’ traps, etc. The birds in their turn increase and spread over the surrounding district, which is being cleaned all the while of vermin. In this country, we have a very valuable lot of areas set aside as sanctuaries for native flora and avifauna, but with one or two minor exceptions no attempt is made at conservation; therefore they can only be looked upon as sanctuaries in name. The disunited system in vogue in New Zealand of having our bird and scenic reserves in charge of many various bodies can only lead to inefficiency and diffusion of effort. New Zealand owes a great debt to those wise men who set aside these areas; and it remains for us, the present citizens of New Zealand, to see that their work bears fruit by insisting on efficient and intelligent conservation. Canada and the American States have vast refuges. In California, for instance, any person may have his property declared a sanctuary if it is not less than 160 acres and the term not less than 10 years. No shooting by the owner or anyone else is permitted except to kill vermin, etc., and then only by those licensed to do so. Suitable sanctuaries are set aside by treatv between some countries including America and Canada as resting places in order that migratory birds may be protected during their flight instead of being ruthlessly slain in thousands as they were once wont to be. Without efficient, rigorous and drastic control of sanctuaries, many birds would sooner or later become extinct. In New Zealand I the islands around our coast would make ideal sanctuaries for our native flora and fauna. Many are now gazetted as such, and it only remains to have united administration under, say, some such body as a board familiar with New Zealand conditions with a supervising inspector as executive officer and keepers wherever the area is sufficient to warrant their

appointment; and we could then be fairly certain of preserving each species of our unique birds and our flora in its natural native state. The more important of these sanctuaries should be accessible to the public; with necessary restrictions. Huts or whares architecturally in keeping with the surroundings could be erected and a charge imposed for their use and for board. By this means the interest of the public would be secured and expenses minimised.