BANKS PENINSULA FIRE HIGHLIGHTS SMALL RESERVE PROBLEMS

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

BANKS PENINSULA FIRE HIGHLIGHTS SMALL RESERVE PROBLEMS

We are often criticised for seeking large reserves — measuring thousands of hectares and encompassing whole catchments as well as areas surrounded oy buffer zones. The most important reason for seeking large reserves is that scientific studies and practical experience shows that usually only large reserves are biologically sustainable. Large reserves can support wide ranging bird species like kaka and parakeet. They are buffered from natural catastrophies such as disease, wind throw and drought simply because they contain a diversity of plant associations on a range of sites. Large reserves also minimise unnatural edge effects — dessication, wind, spray and fertiliser drift and even invasion by weeds like Old Mans Beard which thrive on forest margins and in modified forests. Sadly many of our surviving reserves, although natural treasures are too small

and may not be sustainable. On 9 June, a disastrous fire struck one of the most valuable reserves — the 36 hectare Armstrong Nature Reserve behind Akaroa. A gorse burnoff on farmland next door was fanned out of control and burnt out nearly half the reserve. The worst damage was the total destruction of the only significant patch of regenerating cedar on Banks Peninsula. The fire also burnt all of the reserve’s snow tussock grassland — one of only four significant patches reserved on Banks Peninsula — and many rare and special plants including the very rare peninsula mountain daisy Ce/misia mackaui. This tragedy must strengthen our resolve to secure large sustainable reserves wherever possible.