Are all 'Threatened' species protected?
No. In many countries, species listed as threatened automatically receive legislative protection from hunting, habitat destruction and other threats. In New Zealand, there’s no direct link between conservation status and legal protection.
Legal protection of species
The legal protection of species is covered in the following acts:
- The Conservation Act 1987 protects plants and animals on public conservation land.
- The Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 protects all marine mammals.
- The Wildlife Act 1953 protects all terrestrial vertebrate animals except those specifically excluded or limited in one of the schedules to the act. It also protects some invertebrate and marine fish species declared to be animals for the purposes of the act.
- The Native Plants Protection Act 1934 allows for national or regional protection of native plant species by a Warrant issued by the Governor-General. It does not infer any general protection of native plants outside national parks and reserves.
What’s not protected?
Plants, invertebrates and fish are generally not protected except where they occur in national parks or reserves. Exceptions are the few fish and invertebrates deemed to be animals under the Wildlife Act.
What happens next?
Our work includes managing threats and protecting and monitoring species.