Threatened Species Trust: Conservation Becomes a Corporate Cause

Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 2, 1 May 1990, Page 10

Threatened Species Trust: Conservation

Becomes a Corporate Cause

by

Kevin Smith

COMALCO KAKAPO! A Tasman Forestry kokako! What's happening? Has big industry highjacked New Zealand's threatened wildlife to serve its own ends? Well, yes it has, but it is good news for the kakapo and kokako which will benefit from commercial sponsorship of the Department of Conservation’s recovery programmes. The sponsorship is all part of Forest and Bird's new Threatened Species Trust Fund. Commercialisation of New Zealand's threatened species is not new. The poor old flightless kiwi has been shamelessly exploited for years to help sell a multitude of goods from boot polish to sausages. This curious ancient bird, at its happiest when hunting for grubs in dank rainforest litter, has also been hijacked by sports promoters whose jingoistic chants urge our sports heroes to give the Aussies "A taste of Kiwi". Needless to say, all this commercial and nationalistic obsession has never benefited the kiwi, whose range and numbers have declined dramatically this century. A recovery programme for all three kiwi species is long overdue as predation by pigs and dogs, along with habitat loss, contribute to its decline.

Public Captivated Yet, ever since the seemingly miraculous rescue of the Chatham Island black robin from the brink of extinction, the public have become captivated by the dramatic struggle to save some of our critically endangered species. Don Merton, the Department of Conservation’s endangered species specialist, has become a national hero. But his ingenuity and the tireless efforts of his team of fellow workers can achieve little without adequate funding. Helicopter trips, pest eradication programmes, sophisticated radio telemetry, the servicing requirements of remote field stations, innovative research and so on place a heavy demand on the conservation budget — a pittance compared to a Clyde dam, a couple of frigates or any number of lesser government projects. But in these times of economic restraint, taxpayer funding of threatened species work will always fall short of the optimum. Forest and Bird's deputy president, Gordon Ell, believes the role of the Threatened Species Fund is to supplement DoC’s base level funding, enabling the department to tackle projects that would otherwise be delayed or never get off the ground.

"Corporate New Zealand is awakening to the reality that it is to their advantage to support conservation in the 1990s. The public will expect and demand a meaningful commitment from big business towards conservation. "Enlightened companies and their public relations consultants are looking for opportunities to contribute in a meaningful way to green projects. "Forest and Bird welcomes this interest and has established the Threatened Species Fund as a vehicle to channel corporate sponsorship into DoC's recovery programmes," Gordon Ell says. Critically Endangered This novel concept became a reality in April when the Fund was launched by the Minister of Conservation, Philip Woollaston, coinciding with the announcement of Comalco’s major sponsorship of the critically endangered kakapo. Sadly, just prior to the launch it was announced that the rescue programme had suffered a major setback with the death of a chick and abandonment of an egg on Little Barrier Island. The chick was the first hatched for nine years.

A Power of Good for Kakapo

Twenty years ago conservationists and industry were locked in bitter confrontation over the proposal to raise scenic Lake Manapouri, touted as "New Zealand's most picturesque lake." The plan was to lift the lake level by 27 feet in order to provide more water to turn the giant Manapouri hydro station's turbines, which would in turn power the proposed Bluff aluminium smelter. Even though the hydro station was finally built, along with the aluminium smelter, the conservation movement achieved a major victory in forcing politicians and power planners to scrap the lake raising proposal. In New Zealand the campaign has in retrospect been hailed as marking the birth of the modern environmental movement. Today Comalco, the smelter company at the centre of the controversy, is one of a number of businesses keen to sponsor "green’’ projects. Over the next six years Comalco proposes to contribute $1 million to the rescue programme to save the kakapo, the world’s largest and rarest parrot. Kerry McDonald, chief executive of Comalco NZ Ltd, has a reputation for being a hardnosed businessman. He recently talked with Forest & Bird about

why Comalco is prepared to sponsor a rescue programme for the kakapo. F&B: How committed is Comalco to kaKapo rescue? Kerry McDonald: A concept was put to us by Forest and Bird and the Department of Conservation. They indicated a time period of five to six years within which they thought the project could achieve some significant success. So we have been willing to discuss an arrangement which envisages an involvement for that period. So, I think that in itself is a pretty substantial commitment on behalf of the company. The fact that there is a regional focus with kakapo, it’s got a strong linkage with Southland or the south of the South Island, which is the centre of our operation, gives an added incentive to be involved with it. F&B: What would you say to the sceptics who say you are just conducting a PR exercise and that you are going to give your company a green gloss at the same time as you are negotiating for the purchase of a share of the Manapouri power station? KM: Well, any of the issues we have to deal with, such as negotiations on Man-

apouri and expansion of the smelter, they all stand alone. If we are going to have a substantial presence in New Zealand, if we are going to operate as a New Zealand company, then | regard all this as an important adjunct of our position here — that we are involved in sponsorship of the arts and communityrelated activities. So kakapo is simply another facet of that. Now, I think there is likely to be a desirable spin off. Some of the problems we have had in the past we have found have been caused by poor communication, lack of knowledge by both sides, and that’s one of the reasons why over the last couple of years we haven't just been adopting a higher profile in advertising — we've been providing a lot more factual information about the company, level of profit, tax paid and so on. Now I'm hopeful that one of the spin offs of the sponsorship is that we will have an opportunity for contact and discussion. People who have a strong commitment to environmental issues will get a better understanding of our perspective, we in turn will get a better understanding of theirs. | think that will be a very positive process.

The Trust Fund is a partnership between Forest and Bird and the Department of Conservation. Society director, Kevin Smith, DoC's director-general, Bill Mansfield and the chairperson of the New Zealand Conservation Authority oversee the operation of the fund. They have the power to co-opt a further trustee from the commercial sector. Administration of the Fund is the responsibility of Forest and Bird. For each sponsorship a project committee is established comprising representatives from Forest and Bird, DoC and the sponsoring company. Sponsorships will not be limited to the glamorous bird species. Skinks, giant wetas, carnivorous land snails and a host of threatened native plants all need help too. Credit for developing and successfuly steering the Trust Fund through the administrative and legal requirements lies mainly with DoC’s former assistant-director, Gordon Shroff, Society solicitor David Hurley and Society staff. Comalco have committed themselves to a $1,000,000 sponsorship for kakapo over six years. Additional funds will be contributed if aluminium can return rates increase significantly: a good incentive for Forest and Bird and DoC to promote aluminium can recycling which is a worthwhile endeavour in its own right. Comalco’s sponsorship will enable DoC to fully implement the kakapo recovery plan. Some of the projects include: close monitoring of the Codfish Island and Little Barrier

populations, supplementary feeding to increase the chance of breeding success, development of captive breeding techniques in case the wild population continues to decline, rat control, further research into kakapo feeding and habitat requirements. Tasman Forestry have committed $150,000 over three years to a management project designed to discover the key to maintaining viable kokako populations in mainland forests. Nest predation by rats and stoats and food competition from possums are serious problems for the kokako. Few chicks are successfully fledged. The 3-year project will aim at controlling predators such as rats, stoats, and wild cats which attack nesting kokako and their eggs or nestlings. Browsing animals which have a detrimental effect on the kokako’s habitat will also be controlled. The project will be centred on forests in the Kaharoa area north of Rotorua. Heading the project will be Hazel Speed, who has recently spent three years studying kokako in Pureora and other King Country forests. Working with DoC staff, she will monitor the effects of the control programme on both predators and kokako to establish the most effective and efficient management techniques. It is expected that the project results will have wide application for the management of other kokako reserves. Bryce Heard, Tasman’s chief executive, is right behind the project.

Working Side By Side "Tasman Forestry’s commitment to the project is an illustration of industry and the conservation movement working side by side with Government in a sensible, positive manner. We particularly support the active management principles in this project, which should help the kokako’s survival," he says. These projects will be implemented by DoC’'s newly formed Threatened Species Unit headed by Alan Saunders. Only projects approved by the Threatened Species Unit and forming part of a recovery plan (where one exists) will be considered for sponsorship. Forest and Bird has welcomed the formation of the Threatened Species Unit and we have been very pleased by their willingness to consult with Forest and Bird and seek our input into the recovery plans. Society field director Mark Bellingham is on the kakapo recovery committee and Kevin Smith is on the kokako committee. Cynics might suggest that Tasman and Comalco are buying off two of their potentially sternest critics to any future controversial developments they might be planning. To the credit of both firms, neither has even hinted that it expects a softening of Forest and Bird’s or DoC’s conservation advocacy on other issues. Observes Gordon Ell: "It was made clear from the outset that the sponsorship will be completely separate from any other relationship we may have with the company. Any spillover to date has been to the benefit of conservation. The overwhelmingly positive response Tasman Forestry have had to their kokako sponsorship and their commitment to native forest protection in the Tasman Accord has convinced parent company Fletcher Challenge of the merit of the green approach. Fletcher Challenge’s Tasmanian subsidiary, Australian Newsprint Mills, played a constructive role in a recent accord in Tasmania between conservationists and the timber industry." The co-operative partnership forged between DoC, Forest and Bird and industry augurs well for the future of some of New Zealand's most special inhabitants. Only 43 kakapo managed to hang on till New Zealand's sesquicentennial celebration after surviving here on these isolated islands for millions of years. The kakapo will not be around for the bi-centennial celebrations without a great deal of help, nor might the kokako. Comalco and Tasman Forestry’s investment in the future of New Zealand's native wildlife will hopefully be just the first of a number of threatened species sponsorships. ~

Save Cans — Save the Kakapo

There is strong linkage between aluminium can recycling and kakapo sponsorship, besides the obvious symbolism, or "synergy" as Kerry McDonald puts it. Comalco have agreed that, if can recovery can be increased significantly, they will increase their funding of the kakapo programme. This offer should be added incentive to conservationists to return their cans to recycling bins. At present New Zealand has a can return rate of about

30 percent — a good base from which to Start. It should not take much to improve that and in turn provide extra money for kakapo. Encourage children to collect cans instead of hitting their parents for pocket money. Ensure any cans discarded at your workplace or functions you attend, are recycled. The processing of a recycled can uses only five percent of the energy required to produce a can from raw materials.