Our Marine Environment 2019 Technical Report
- Author
- Ministry for the Environment &; Stats NZ
- Year
- 2019
- Publisher / Organisation
- Ministry for the Environment & Stats NZ
- Number
- ME 1468
- Month
- October
- Series
- New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting Series
- Pages
- 72
- ISBN / ISSN
- 978-1-98-857946-7
- Keywords
- marine, statistics
- Summary
- Te moana, the coast and oceans of Aotearoa New Zealand, are central to our identity and intertwined with our history – we are a maritime nation. For Māori, te moana is a source of whakapapa. We have one of the largest areas of ocean in the world. Our marine landscapes and habitats are diverse, supporting complex ecosystems and many unique species. Our oceans support us. The marine economy added $7 billion to our economy in 2017 and employed more than 30,000 people. Healthy marine ecosystems provide essential benefits like taking up carbon dioxide, removing pollutants and providing kaimoana. In te ao Māori (the Māori world and worldview) the mauri, or life force, of a healthy moana enhances the mauri of those who interact with it. This report summarises four priority issues for the marine environment and these issues mirror those we are also grappling with on land. OUR NATIVE MARINE SPECIES AND HABITATS ARE UNDER THREAT An estimated 30 percent of Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity is in the sea but many species are in trouble: very few marine species are assessed, but of these 22 percent of marine mammals, 90 percent of seabirds and 80 percent of shorebirds are threatened with, or at risk of, extinction. The number of identified, non-native species established here is rising and now totals 214. Many non-native species can spread rapidly and some affect native species and habitats. Estuaries and living habitats, like seagrass meadows and kelp forests, provide marine life with the food and shelter they need to thrive. Many biogenic habitats are decreasing or under threat. A decline in the number of kuku (greenlipped mussel), from over 100 million in 2007 to less than 500,000 in 2016, was observed in Ōhiwa Harbour. Declining marine health makes our coasts and oceans less resilient to disturbances, including climate change.