MAVORA LAKES PASTORAL PARK PROPOSAL IN SOUTHLAND UNSATISFACTORY

Forest and Bird, Volume 15, Issue 3, 1 August 1984, Unnumbered Page

MAVORA LAKES PASTORAL PARK PROPOSAL IN SOUTHLAND UNSATISFACTORY

The Lands and Survey Department proposal to create 35,000 hectare pastoral park centred around Southland’s Mavora Lakes in unsatisfactory. Public submissions closed on 6 July on Departmental plans for this important natural area which contains a representative sample of northern Southland’s high country. The area includes the two Mavora Lakes, beech forest, extensive natural grasslands and wetlands of the Mararoa river and Winden Burn, all sandwiched between the impressive Livingston and Thomson mountains. It is also very popular for recreation. Mavora is in Crown ownership and meets all the criteria for a scenic reserve. As such it would be a prime candidate for national reserve status. A pastoral park, unlike a scenic reserve, offers insufficient protection to this important natural area. It seems designed to legitimise cattle grazing throughout the river flats and wetlands of the Park, grazing widely considered to be detrimental to natural values. The Mavora Lakes will be featured in our next issue of Forest and Bird which focuses on the South Island High Country and tussock grasslands.