| Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
The Forest and Bird logo adopted in 2009 |
|
| Formation | 1923 |
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose/focus | Conservation |
| Headquarters | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Website | forestandbird.org.nz/ |
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. (Forest & Bird) is an environmental organisation specialising in conservation of indigenous plant and animal life in and around New Zealand.
The society is also well-known for being a great authority on Resource Management Law, and produces a respected commentary book on the law. They are also actively engaged in lobbying for resource management law and practices to more consistently protect the ecosystem.[1]
Contents |
The society was founded in 1923, it is the largest and longest running environmental group in New Zealand.
BEGINNINGS OF THE SOCIETY
As is often the case, large scale movements are frequently initiated by the relentless efforts of one or two people who feel driven to change what they perceive as wrong, such was the beginning of the Royal Forest and Bird Society. Before World War One, Wellingtonian, Ernest Valentine Sanderson had been one of a number of people who had been vocal about the damage done to Kapiti Island by the introduction of grazing animals that were not kept in check by fences despite an area of the island being designated a wildlife reserve. After returning from the First World War, Captain Val Sanderson revisited Kapiti Island in 1921 and was angered both that the reserve was still unfenced and at the extent of damage that had been caused by the cattle, sheep and goats that had been introduced there. Once the habitat of a wide range of native flora and fauna, the introduced animals had grazed and trampled the island, denuding it of larger plants and scrub, and depriving the native animals of cover and food. Sanderson began a campaign to restore Kapiti Island to its original state and succeeded in having it re-declared a Wildlife Reserve. Encouraged by this success and with the support of Sir Thomas Mackenzie, a one-time explorer and New Zealand statesman, Sanderson sought wider support and at a public meeting in March 1923; the Native Bird Protection Society came into being with Mackenzie as Society President. Though Mackenzie was at the helm, Sanderson was still very much the driving force in the background. A forestry conservation group already existed in the form of The New Zealand Forestry League but did not have a strong following and it gradually died out which gave Mackenzie and Sanderson the opportunity to widen the societies sphere of influence and in 1935 it became the Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand. Sanderson drove an expansion of the society’s range of interests, including such areas as soil erosion and use of native trees for soil stabilisation; he also took over the president’s position in 1933 which he held until his death in 1945 aged 79.
The society has the following aims:
Perceptions on Forest & Bird are varied. While the group is one of the most well-known mainstream environmental groups of the country, it has also come under criticism, such as in 2010 when Prime Minister John Key accused them of engaging in "predictable scaremongering" when the group warned that a yet unreleased government report supported mining in three conservation areas.[5]