Extinction unacceptable for New Zealand icon, says minister

The New Zealand government on Monday pledged that it will reverse the national bird's spiral towards extinction.

The new plan to raise wild kiwi numbers to more than 100,000 by 2030 was released for consultation by Conservation Minister Maggie Barry.

The draft Kiwi Recovery Plan 2017-2027 set a clear path for the conservation of New Zealand's national bird, Barry said in a statement.

The plan had three high level goals: growing populations; maintaining genetic diversity; and restoring the bird's former distribution back into safe habitats throughout New Zealand.

"This plan focuses on growing the wild kiwi population and building on the work achieved under previous plans, rather than steadying or managing decline," Barry said.

"This government is not prepared to accept that our national bird is at any ongoing risk of potentially becoming extinct in their natural habitat."

Wild kiwi numbers currently sit just below 70,000, with an ongoing decline of around 2 percent a year, caused mainly by predation from stoats and dogs.

In areas where kiwi were managed, populations could grow by 2 percent a year.

The plan fitted well with the government's broader Predator Free 2050 vision, which aims to eradicate all exotic predators that are killing off New Zealand's unique bird life.

"Kiwi in remote areas need to be protected from predators while remaining in the wild to live, breed and thrive as nature intended, as they did before predators arrived," said Barry.

The plan also tackled other challenges, including maintaining genetic diversity, ensuring responsible dog ownership and measuring the effectiveness of kiwi recovery tools over the long term.

Consultation would close on Jan. 27 and the final plan would be released later in 2017.

Source:  XINHUA