Kiwi decline

Forest and Bird, Issue 266, 1 November 1992, Page 3

Kiwi decline

SURVEYS OF KIWI populations around the country over the past year have shown alarming declines in numbers and distribution, particularly those of the brown kiwi. In Northland, long thought to be the stronghold of the ~ North Island brown kiwi, there has been a clear contraction of the range in areas in the south-east where the birds were known 10-20 years ago. A similar story is emerging in Egmont National Park, Raukumara Range on the East Coast, Mamaku Plateau and Pirongia Forest. The surveys were conducted by the Department of Conservation as the first stage of the five-year kiwi recovery programme launched last year (see Forest & Bird November 1991). The programme aims to maintain and boost kiwi populations throughout New Zealand and is a partnership between DoC

and Forest and Bird with funding from the Bank of New Zealand. The surveys will be completed by the middle of next year. It is not only the brown kiwi which is in decline. There has also been an alarming decrease in numbers of the great spotted kiwi, a species only found on the West Coast. The survey of the northern part of its distribution in ZA north-west Nelson and f

the Paparoas showed patchy results, but in its southern distribution, in South Westland, only one bird was found. Only the little spotted kiwi, extinct on the mainland and now restricted to island sanctuaries, showed consistent well established breeding populations. ‘"There’s now no doubt that kiwi are very severely at risk in the wild," said DoC’s director of protected species Janet Owen. The main threat to the kiwi comes from dogs. And possums, which compete for food, take over burrows and eat the eggs. Kiwi were also vulnerable to possum baits and poorly set gin traps. DoC has advocated the shooting of dogs that kill kiwis. At present it is unable to do so. Forest and Bird, however, feels that this approach 1s too late and too limited, and has consistently argued that all kiwi habitat should be zoned as dog-free areas.

Present distribution of kiwi brown kiwi (3 subspecies: NI, SI, Stewart I) great spotted kiwi little spotted kiwi Results in the areas surveyed high-moderate nos still present/ moderate nos patchy/ partial decline low nos G06 08 all but gone