Management of endangered species : policy influences and development in New Zealand

Abstract

This study examines the development of the Wildlife Service's management of endangered fauna and the influences which affected this development. The development of the Wildlife Service and endangered species management was researched using the annual reports to Parliament, estimates of expenditure and interviews with ex Wildlife Service staff. The study examines the legal mandate, the general policies of the Wildlife Service from 1946 to 1987, and criticisms which have been voiced on these policies. It then looks at the broader context of endangered species management: the New Zealand situation, the changing perceptions of extinction, the evolution of ecological knowledge, the low social visibility and the preferences for some taxa. Then it considers the organisations which played a role in the development of policy. Finally the study draws some conclusions on the suitability of the Wildlife Service approach under the conditions which existed, and comments on the significance of these for evaluations of endangered species management.