Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand

The World Heritage site is a major domestic and international destination and is a focal point for New Zealand’s burgeoning tourism industry which (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020) contributed in the order of NZ$40 billion annually to New Zealand's economy (NZ$23 billion from domestic tourism, and NZ$17 billion international tourism) and made up 20% of NZ export earnings; international visitor growth had been about 4% per annum (NZ 2020a). A significant percentage of international tourists tends to focus on locations that are promoted by the tourism industry and which provide tourism services, whereas domestic visitors are the ones more inclined to venture into areas that are less developed. Major pressure points include: Doubtful and Milford Sounds; Great Walks – Milford, Kepler and Routeburn Tracks; helicopter flights and landings at the Fox, Franz and the Tasman Glaciers; and the Hooker Valley at the base of Mt Cook. The establishment of large private 'lodges' (Ultimate Hikes 2020) along the Routeburn Track was a major intrusion arising from a decision to increase the numbers of walkers permitted on commercial tours. As an example of potential sky-rocketing numbers, one regional plan stated 'it is estimated that Milford alone could see a significant increase in the number of visitors from the current level of 650,000 per year to 1.5 million in 10 years' (SORDS, 2016). A major conservation group has expressed alarm about the proposed 460 ha amenity area in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park for a gondola development next to the Franz Josef Glacier (Forest and Bird, 2018). Before the advent of COVID-19, the high numbers of visitors had increased management problems at some locations including: human waste management at day and overnight sites and tracks; increased aircraft demand – particularly related to recreational use and glacier landings; campsite use and management. A particular concern at some locations is the conflict between the value of the area for its seclusion and tranquillity, and the noise and proliferation of visitors generated by mechanised access, most notably aircraft and jetboats.

Approved helicopter and plane landing sites are listed in the national park management plans and conservation management strategies. There are also flight path protocols to minimise noise in the vicinity of the Milford Track, Westland Tai Poutini National Park, and in the Hooker Valley below Aoraki/Mount Cook. However, other than standard Civil Aviation regulations, which allow planes in ‘uninhabited areas’ to fly as low as 500 feet above the ground, there is little control (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The rapid increase in tourism numbers has been exacerbating tension between user groups. An example of the tension was the dispute over the number of helicopter landings on the Ngapunatoru ice plateau inside the World Heritage site (FMC 2016, NZAC 2016, Wilderness Magazine 2016) and the resulting decision of the New Zealand Ombudsman (Ombudsman, 2018). This conflict as well as the impacts of noise on visitor experience and potentially on wildlife at some locations is acknowledged by the management and management plans have proposed means of dealing with the issue (DOC, 2018). The reductions in international tourist numbers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 will significantly ameliorate these impacts in the short to medium term. However, this is not a solution that is either desirable or necessarily long lasting. 

New Zealand has been physically separated from other land masses for 80 million years, so its flora and fauna evolved independently and are at risk from invasive species, many of which are listed by the DOC (DOC, 2020d). The site's vegetation suffers from introduced browsing animals such as possums, chamois, deer and Himalayan Thar. The site's native birds suffer from introduced predators including rodents and mustelids. Impacts include loss of vegetation, localized extinctions, reductions in the range of key species, and a significant decline in the abundance of some indigenous biota, particularly native avifauna. The existing policies seek to prevent further incursions, and to control the range and impacts of non-native invasive species. The means of control are listed and discussed on DOC's website and include poisoning (particularly aerial drops of 1080 poison), baiting, trapping, culling and recreational hunting; research into enhanced methods of control is carried out through government partnerships with educational institutions (DOC, 2020e). Use of pesticides throughout the country, including within the World Heritage site, is notified to the public through an interactive map (DOC, 2020f). The overall program of pest control is entitled Tiakina Nga Manu, replacing the previous title 'Battle for our Birds' (DOC, 2020g). Many aspects of the program are detailed on this website, including outcomes, highlights, parliamentary oversight and monitoring. The use of 1080 poison attracts criticism and controversy (SAFE, 2019) but is strongly supported by the country's major nature-conservation group (Forest and Bird, 2020a) and has been backed by parliamentary inquiries and reports (PCE 2011, 2013a).

The case of the Himalayan tahr is complicated by the fact that it is treated as a game species. The Himalayan Thar [sic] Control Plan has been in place since 1993 and sets limits and intervention densities to trigger the culling of tahr. Cruz et al. (2014) described impacts on vegetation from tahr grazing. In 2018, an urgent cull was required because of a crisis in numbers (NewsHub, 2018). In autumn 2019 the population of tahr on public conservation lands was estimated to be about 35,000 (despite the target level of 10,000) and parts of the Westland Tai Poutini National Park described as ‘a tahr game park’ (Wilderness Mag, 2018). Since July 2019 more than 20,000 tahr have been culled by organised recreational hunters, commercial hunting, and DOC culling. The control program continues with frequent public updates (DOC, 2020b, 2020c) and DOC will need to maintain efforts to achieve the goals of the 1993 plan as recreational and commercial hunting have proven  insufficient to control numbers adequately

Unless the measures referred to above are maintained and progressively increased, the indigenous biodiversity in those areas of the World Heritage site that are not being provided with pest control cannot have a positive long-term outlook. The government takes the threat of invasive animals very seriously and in 2016 announced the 'ambitious' goal of making New Zealand free of predators by 2050 (DOC, 2020h). In 2018, funding for control programs across the country was increased (DOC, 2018b).

Visual indications of the effects of climate change include measurable reductions in permanent ice fields and glaciers (eg Fox, Franz and Tasman). The Department of Conservation strongly acknowledges the significance of this threat, warning of higher temperatures, more extreme weather events, changing rainfall distribution, threats to particular species and ecosystems, and impacts on human activities within the World Heritage site (DOC, 2020i). Loss of glacier ice represents a significant impact on a major contributor to the site's Outstanding Universal Value; this has been well documented and studied (NIWA, 2018, Purdie et al., 2018, Purdie and Kerr, 2018) and is part of a global phenomenon (Bosson et al., 2019). Under current temperature projections, it is predicted that up to 50% of the indigenous alpine species may become endangered or extinct by 2100 because of shrubland and forest encroachment, habitat fragmentation, alien species invasion and direct and severe climate and weather-related events (McGlone et al., 2011). Impacts on aquatic environments such as lakes are poorly understood but could be significant (NIWA, 2020a). The sheer size, diversity and basically unmodified nature of the site provides resilience as well as maintaining connections across landscapes that allow plants and animals to move as they adapt to the inevitable disruptions caused by a changing climate.

The World Heritage site is subject to low-frequency high-magnitude events such as earthquakes, snow avalanches, landslides and flooding. These have caused deaths and damage or loss of property. In February 2019, a storm and landslips caused unprecedented damage to access roads and infrastructure at both the Franz and Fox glaciers. In February 2020. a significant storm event destroyed sections of the Milford and Routeburn Great Walks, and severely impacted the road from Te Anau to Piopiotahi Milford Sound.  The popular Day Hike in the Hooker Valley was closed for several months when flooding events impacted the access road and essential bridges. Safety planning and management intervention have focused on reinstating major tourist access routes and facilities. Access to the Fox Glacier Te Moeka o Tuawe terminal has been closed due to a significant landslip which hasreducedthe hazard to visitors considerably but vigilance and on-going controls are required (State Party of New Zealand, 1990, 2003; UNEP-WCMC, 2011). Such events occur as a natural part of the geological phenomena that created the physical attributes that contribute to the site's Outstanding Universal Value, so must be expected. The concern is that their impacts on biotic attributes may be exacerbated by the impacts on vegetation of climate change and browsing animals.

Historic grazing licences exist on conservation land on the outer edge of the World Heritage site (eg Haast, South Westland river valleys). Freshwater systems, valley floor vegetation and forest margins are detrimentally affected by the grazing of domestic stock, particularly cattle, within conservation land contained within the site. Some of this grazing was guaranteed under New Zealand law when the Mt Aspiring National Park was established. Other areas have been subject to grazing licence renewals and there is an opportunity to limit the term of these by only renewing them for a short-term or not renewing them at all, to protect water and forest margins from further degradation. A recently granted grazing licence renewal in the Haast river is being reconsidered by the Department. (DOC, 2020j). Concerns exist that the extension of existing farming practices in this area could result in continued degradation of its intrinsic values, and diminish recreation and tourism opportunities by limiting access to the Haast riverbed (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

Since 1990, the Government’s Nature Heritage Fund has been negotiating through business agreements the de-stocking of many of the highest-profile valleys within Mt Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks to return these areas to natural condition. De-stocked park areas include the Eglinton Valley, Dart Valley, Siberia-Wilkin-Makarora Valley and the Landsborough-Upper Haast Valleys. This process is ongoing. A new 13.5km Fiordland National Park boundary fence is nearing completion.  This will prevent stock from Te Anau Downs Station accessing Fiordland National Park and the Eglinton River.

In many locations on the periphery of the World Heritage site native vegetation is threatened by introduced plant species. These include a variety of 'wilding conifers', lupin, broom, non-native grasses and buddleia. 'Wilding conifer' is the New Zealand term for introduced conifers that are spreading across the landscape – self-sown and unwanted. They include cedars, pines, firs, cypress, larches and spruces. Wilding conifers are spreading in eastern parts of the World Heritage site; they modify natural ecosystems such as tussock grassland so much that the unique New Zealand landscape is lost and native plants and animals are evicted or die (DOC, 2020k). Efforts to address this problem are shared by community groups and government with significant resources allocated in recent years. Freshwater weeds and marine exotic seaweeds in the fiords are also identified as a problem (DOC, 2020l).

Several catchments in the northern section of the World Heritage area have been invaded by herbaceous weeds and woody shrubs, that without intervention, can spread rapidly. Species such as tradescantia take hold of understoreys as a groundcover, preventing seedlings of native species to establish. Annual control of herbaceous and woody weed species is preventing further spread and in some places successfully reducing seed load for future years, however, use of new techniques, such as biological controls, are being trialled on species that are more resistant to chemical and manual control (IUCN Consultation, 2020).