Te Wahipounamu

==Description==

==Description==

{{unreferenced section|date=May 2024}}

Te Wahipounamu stretches {{convert|450|km}} along the western coastline of the South Island of New Zealand. The elevation of this land area ranges from sea level to {{convert|3724|m}} at [[Aoraki / Mount Cook]]. In some places it extends inland as far as {{convert|90|km}}. Within Te Wahipounamu there is a multitude of natural features including snow-capped peaks, sapphire lakes, waterfalls, fiords, and valleys. It is also home to hundreds of the world's most active glaciers, but the main two are [[Franz Josef Glacier]] and [[Fox Glacier]].{{Cite web |title=Glaciers and people {{!}} Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/glaciers-and-glaciation/page-5 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}} It is the largest and least modified area of New Zealand's natural ecosystem. And as such, the flora and fauna of the area is the world's best modern representation of the ancient biota of Gondwanaland.

Te Wahipounamu stretches {{convert|450|km}} along the western coastline of the South Island of New Zealand. The elevation of this land area ranges from sea level to {{convert|3724|m}} at [[Aoraki / Mount Cook]]. In some places it extends inland as far as {{convert|90|km}}. Within Te Wahipounamu there is a multitude of natural features including snow-capped peaks, sapphire lakes, waterfalls, fiords, and valleys. It is also home to hundreds of the world's most active glaciers, but the main two are [[Franz Josef Glacier]] and [[Fox Glacier]].{{Cite web |title=Glaciers and people {{!}} Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/glaciers-and-glaciation/page-5 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=teara.govt.nz |language=en}} It is the largest and least modified area of New Zealand's natural ecosystem. And as such, the flora and fauna of the area is the world's best modern representation of the ancient biota of Gondwanaland.

===Fauna===

===Fauna===

Te Wahipounamu is home to many indigenous animals and contains the largest and most significant population of forest birds in the country. The total wild population of the [[takahē]], which is only about 170 birds, is found in a few mountain valleys in Fiordland. Along the south-west coast, most of New Zealand's Fur Seals are found. Also found in this region are [[Southern Brown Kiwi]], [[Great Spotted Kiwi]], [[Yellow-crowned parakeet]], [[Fiordland Penguin]], [[New Zealand Falcon]], and [[Brown teal]]. The [[kākāpō]], The kākāpō is a large, green, flightless parrot with an owl-like face and a waddling gait. It is nocturnal, the world’s only lek‑breeding parrot, and possibly the longest‑lived bird species, living 60–90 years. It is also the heaviest parrot species, with males weighing up to 4 kg.

Te Wahipounamu is home to many indigenous animals and contains the largest and most significant population of forest birds in the country. The total wild population of the [[takahē]], which is only about 170 birds, is found in a few mountain valleys in Fiordland. Along the south-west coast, most of New Zealand's Fur Seals are found. Also found in this region are [[Southern Brown Kiwi]], [[Great Spotted Kiwi]], [[Yellow-crowned parakeet]], [[Fiordland Penguin]], [[New Zealand Falcon]], and [[Brown teal]]. The [[kākāpō]], the world's rarest and heaviest parrot, was found in this region until the early 1980s. name="unesco551">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/551/ |access-date=7 April 2023 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}

Kākāpō Recovery leads conservation efforts, facing challenges such as low hatching success and the need for more predator‑free habitats. Despite this, innovative techniques have helped grow the population.

Once widespread across New Zealand, kākāpō numbers plummeted after human arrival due to hunting, predators and habitat loss. Conservation efforts began in 1894 but the species nearly went extinct by the mid‑1900s. Today, kākāpō live only on protected offshore islands and in a fenced mainland sanctuary.https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/kakapo/

===Population===

===Population===

===Legal requirements===

===Legal requirements===

Most of the land in Te Wahipounamu is owned by the Crown (government and the people of New Zealand) and administered by the [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]]. The most important regulations are the [[National Parks Act 1980 (New Zealand)|National Parks Act 1980]], the [[Conservation Act 1987]], and [[Reserves Act 1977]], which were not made specifically for Te Wahipounamu but apply as they are for all of New Zealand. There is a legislative mandate for the preservation and protection of natural and historic resources to maintain their intrinsic value, provide for their appreciation and recreational enjoyment by the public, and safeguard options of future generations.>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/551/ |access-date=7 April 2023 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}>

Most of the land in Te Wahipounamu is owned by the Crown (government and the people of New Zealand) and administered by the [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]]. The most important regulations are the [[National Parks Act 1980 (New Zealand)|National Parks Act 1980]], the [[Conservation Act 1987]], and [[Reserves Act 1977]], which were not made specifically for Te Wahipounamu but apply as they are for all of New Zealand. There is a legislative mandate for the preservation and protection of natural and historic resources to maintain their intrinsic value, provide for their appreciation and recreational enjoyment by the public, and safeguard options of future generations.

===Treaty of Waitangi===

===Treaty of Waitangi===