New Zealand lost nearly 6,000 hectares of wetlands in the past two decades

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-06-30 03:00

New Zealand

Credit: Louise Thornley

A large loss of wetlands has happened over time and more recently, reveals a new update from New Zealand and international researchers. The total area of wetlands in New Zealand is now reported as 249,214 hectares, just 10.08% of the historical extent - a loss of more than 90 per cent. The study also shows wetlands continue to be lost in recent years, finding that between 1996 and 2018, the extent of loss was 5954 hectares - equivalent to more than 14,000 football fields.

Expert Reaction

These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.

John Dymond is a researcher at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.

Wetlands are highly valued and significant ecosystems with a large range of ecosystem services. The extent of wetlands in New Zealand has recently been revised by combining two databases, Waters of National Importance, and the Land Cover Database. The total area of wetlands in New Zealand is now given as 249,214 ha, which is 10.08% of the historical extent, representing a loss of over 90%. Loss of wetlands is continuing, as between 1996 and 2018, the area of wetlands lost was 5954 ha.

Last updated: 29 Jun 2021 9:53am

Contact information

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.

Declared conflicts of interest None declared.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Journal of Ecology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, University of Tehran, Iran, and Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Germany

Funder: This research was funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, under contract number C09X1709.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.