The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2008 -- New Zealand

Taranaki Regional Council media release
03 February 2008
For immediate release

NO DRY ARGUMENTS ON WORLD WETLANDS DAY

The weather was hot but the subject matter far from dry as around 80 people gathered in eastern Taranaki today (February 3) to mark World Wetlands Day.

The venue was the Toko dairy farm of Mark and Leigh Caskey, where three wetland gully areas have been fenced to exclude stock and enhanced through the creation of open ponds and through riparian planting.

Taranaki Regional Councillor Mike Davey told those attending the open day that the current hot and dry conditions emphasise the need to protect such wetlands, which are vital for the health of entire river systems especially when they come under such stress.

“And while these land owners have lost a bit of grazable land, the aesthetic improvement adds enormous value to the property,” Mr Davey says.

The Caskeys say the wetland gully areas were formerly an eyesore and a potential death trap for stock.

Representatives of the Taranaki Regional Council, the Taranaki Tree Trust, Fish and Game Taranaki and the QEII National Trust spoke at today’s open day, discussing the importance of wetlands and the assistance available to land owners who want to protect and enhance them.

World Wetlands Day celebrates the signing in the 1970s of an international convention promoting the protection and wise use of wetlands.

Land owners interested in protecting and enhancing wetlands can find out more by calling the Taranaki Regional Council on 06 765 7127 and asking to speak to a Land Management Officer.

Media contact:
Don Shearman, Land Services Manager, Taranaki Regional Council

Some of the 80 people at today’s World Wetlands Day event explore the Caskey farm at Toko, east Taranaki.

Speakers address the crowd at today’s World Wetlands Day event.

For further information about World Wetlands Day or the Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 4 February 2008, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.