More rats, hungry Kiwi: How DOC plans to prepare native species for climate change
Rats could thrive and seals could leave the mainland as New Zealand and its oceans warm, according to the Department of Conservations (DOC) new adaptation plan. When dry spells leave the ground hard, kiwi struggle to probe for food and thatll become an increasing reality for the iconic species as the climate changes. During the drought in Northland... birds have been seen out during the day because theyre potentially hungry, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said. As part of the plan, the agency is mapping the climate risks to our native species, national parks and tourists spots, she said. Its understanding whats happening more and taking action where we can. The adaptation plan contains some good news: bugs on the surface of the ground could increase, which will provide easier pickings for birds like kiwi. READ MORE: * Masting: Understanding feast and famine in NZ forests and grasslands * Coastal skink fights for existence in face of climate change * First climate change risk assessment lays out long list of threats But thats fewer and farther between than the bad news. As temperatures rise, invasive pests could move further south or into alpine environments. Cold winters currently keep hare, hedgehog, rat, stoat and wasp populations down. If this check on pest numbers changes, it could spell doom for the birds and plants these mammals prey upon, the plan says. As the oceans heat up, seabirds and seals could leave the mainland entirely, only surviving on the sub-Antarctic islands. With both intenser storms and longer-running droughts affecting their ecosystems, freshwater fish species could go extinct. Droughts will also cause problems for land-based species requiring damp conditions to live and breed such as kauri snails. The infectious myrtle rust, which infects iconic trees like pohutukawa and rata, favours warm and humid weather, and could spread as these conditions become more common, the document says. Many native species are already under stress from habitat loss, pollution and predation. Although the effects of climate change cant be managed directly, DOC could boost environmental restoration and predator control, Sage said. We can manage other pressures to improve the prospects for threatened species and to maximise their resilience. However, the shrinking habitat suitable for alpine species was an issue with only one solution, Sage said. We need to focus then on mitigation to bring our emissions down to stabilise the climate. The adaptation plan also outlines how climate change will affect tourism. As glaciers shrink and become inaccessible, the tourists who visit the West Coast to see them will dry up. Roads and tracks to popular sites and visitor facilities are more likely to be inundated and damaged by storm surges and flooding. Sage said 331 DOC campgrounds, toilets and boardwalks and 420 archaeological sites sat within the potential coastal flooding zone. Adaptation is required to reduce the risk to those assets. Already, the wharf and biosecurity hut at Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour are flooded with seawater about five times a year. Flood damage on DOC tracks, including Milford and Routeburn, from the Southland storms earlier this year required $13.7 million of repairs . The agency will situate replacement tracks, bridges and hut infrastructure in places where theyre less vulnerable to the expected impacts of climate change, Sage said. Over the next five years, DOC will set a framework and complete risk assessments for how the changing climate will affect at-risk species, habitats, heritage sites and tourist destinations. It will also kick off work to combat these effects, which could include the purchase of new land to re-home threatened species and boosting or tweaking the timing of pest control operations. The agency will also decarbonise operations and has joined Toitu Envirocares emissions-reduction programme, Sage said. Things like vehicles, because weve got to travel long distances, [and] we use quite a lot of jet fuel in helicopters thats probably the biggest contribution to DOCs own emissions. Were looking to integrate more hybrids and electric vehicles in our fleet. The DOC report follows the release earlier this week of the National Climate Change Risk Assessment , which will be used to create a National Adaptation Plan. The agencys adaptation work will eventually sit within this national plan.