NZ Black Swan Stamp Marks World Wetland Day   2 Feb 2015

NZ Black Swan Stamp Marks World Wetland Day

EMBARGOED FOR USE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2015

New Zealanders who care about the environment and conservation are being urged to buy the latest Fish & Game habitat stamp, which is being launched today (Feb 2) to mark World Wetlands Day.

This year, the stamp features the black swan.

The Game Bird Habitat Stamp programme was set up to raise funds – from the sale of the game bird hunting licences, stamp collection and related products – for projects aimed at protecting and enhancing wetlands and game bird and other wildlife habitat.

This is the 22nd in the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Collection series, and the $10 stamp features the black swan (Maori name wani) which can be hunted as a game bird, says Fish & Game Policy & Planning Manager Robert Sowman.
“The black swan was a native bird which has been found in Maori middens. When Europeans arrived they were extinct but were re-introduced by acclimatisation societies in the 1860s.

Scientists believe the black swan also re-introduced itself from Australia and now it is recognised as a New Zealand native species. As such, Fish & Game manage this widespread game bird for long-term sustainability.

Mr Sowman says the 2015 Game Bird Habitat collection consists of a stamp, miniature sheet, first day cover and miniature sheet first day cover, and a hand-numbered and signed ‘limited edition artist print’. The swan was painted by Dunedin wildlife artist Karen Baddock, whose painting of shoveler ducks was used on a Habitat stamp in 2009.

He says the release of the images today is timely, as World Wetlands Day. “Fish & Game remains one of New Zealand’s staunchest agencies both advocating for, and protecting and enhancing wetland habitats.”

“We know that the key to sustainable management and harvest of game birds is good habitat – look after the habitat and the birds and fish are bound to do better – that means more opportunities on offer to licenced hunters.”

He adds that the general public may not be aware that hunters make substantial contributions to the conservation of New Zealand's wildlife habitat, and not only through buying licences.
Hunters pay $2 towards wildlife habitat conservation with the purchase of every game licence. In return they receive a habitat stamp with their licence.

“But we stress the stamps and other products aren’t just for hunters, they’re for anyone who wants to help protect our environment.”

Buying habitat stamp items is a simple and inexpensive way of giving direct support to habitat protection, and you have various spending choices, from a $10 stamp up to $65 for the limited edition print, he adds.

Earlier limited editions prints featuring other birds including the mallard, pheasant and quail are also still available.

This programme is administered by the New Zealand Fish and Game Council. Once costs have been recovered, the net funds are transferred to the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust Board to apply for the protection, enhancement or creation of game bird and other wildlife habitat. To date the programme has raised over $1.3m towards wetland enhancement.

The Game Bird Habitat Trust has supported many projects on both public and private land by recognising that often all that is needed to enable a project to go ahead is a modest grant.

Applications for grants towards wetland development or enhancement close on June 30 each year, and application forms can be found on the Fish & Game website.

More information on the Game Bird Habitat Collection:
http://stamps.nzpost.co.nz/shop/other-products/game-bird-habitat-collection

More information on the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust Board and the application form to apply for habitat grants:
http://www.fishandgame.org.nz/Site/Environment/environmentGBHtrust.aspx

NOTES:

• What is World Wetlands Day?
Every year, on February 2, the anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention is celebrated as World Wetlands Day. Since 1997, people from all sectors of society throughout the world have undertaken actions aimed at raising public awareness of the value of wetlands and the importance of the Ramsar Convention.
• What is the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands?
The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an international agreement signed by many different governments around the world that provides the foundation for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 160 contracting parties to the Convention. There are more than 1,900 wetland sites, totalling over 180 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar Convention’s List of Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar site, as they are also known. Parties to the Ramsar Convention include Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.
This year’s theme Wetlands for our Future draws attention to the urgent need for actions that will slow, stop, and reverse wetland degradation. Latest estimates indicate that 64% of wetlands have been lost in the last century.
• What are wetlands?
Wetlands occur where there is poor drainage or where water accumulates. Freshwater wetlands merge with lakes and rivers, and with brackish or saline wetlands near the coast. The Resource Management Act 1991 defines wetland as ‘permanently or intermittently wet areas, shallow water, and land water margins that support a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions.’

New Zealand’s wetlands are also more accessible than people might think; New Zealand has no fewer than 40 which the public can visit (information on DOC’s website), and there are six designated of international importance. These include the Firth of Thames, Whangamarino Wetland, Manawatu Estuary, Farewell Spit and Waituna Wetland in Southland. This 3,556 hectare scientific reserve has a lagoon, ponds, lakes and peat land. In 1976 the reserve became the country’s first designated Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.

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