Fiordland National Park, New Zealand Photograph by © WWF-Canon/James W. THORSELL   Southwestern part of New Zealand's South Island Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests   4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) -- about twice the size of Delaware Relatively Stable/Intact

· Water Wonderland
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Water Wonderland

High, jagged mountains lead down to the shore where deep fiords penetrate far inland. This southeastern corner of the South Island is one of the most remote and wild areas in New Zealand and is characterized by an abundance of rainfall. Some areas receive as much as 21 feet (6,300 mm) per year, which supports lush beech forests. All this rain is channeled into the numerous lakes, rivers, and waterfalls of the region, eventually spilling out into the fiords in a massive runoff. The freshwater runoff is so great that freshwater can extend down as far as 30 feet (9 m) into the fiords before mixing with salt water. You might get wet exploring Fiordland, but you certainly wouldn’t feel crowded–this area is almost completely uninhabited. Instead, it is full of rare and endemic plants, insects, birds, and marine mammals.

Special Features

Like all mountains found in New Zealand, the ones here were created by tectonic uplift. The region was then sculpted and carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age. But unlike the rest of New Zealand, these hard granite mountains have withstood weathering and retain the sharp, spiky peaks carved by the glaciers. More than 700 plants of this ecoregion are endemic. Colorful bog vegetation flourishes around wetlands, while podocarp and beech forests are found along the coasts. Thick, gnarled silver beech forests dripping in moss and epiphytes are found in valleys where rainfall is especially high. At higher elevations, extensive tussock grasslands grow, including the world’s largest species of buttercup, the Mount Cook buttercup.

	This region has always been uninhabited. Even the Maori did not live here. They visited for periodic fishing and whaling and to collect the mineral greenstone but did not stay. After the arrival of the Europeans, several attempts to harvest minerals or timber were made, but they all failed because of the climate and isolation of this remote area.

Wild Side

The cool, wet climate of this ecoregion seems to suit insects. More than 3,000 species have been found here, with 10 percent of them endemic to the area. More than 100 species of alpine moth can be seen fluttering through the mountains. Rare Fiordland skinks bask in the sun, sometimes in groups of up to 30 individuals. This skink is unusually social and is found only on a few islands in the south where it is safe from introduced predators. The green and blue takahe walks across snow-tussock grasslands, returning to join its mate incubating the nest. These flightless, goose-sized birds are the largest living rails, easily distinguished by their thick red beaks and bright red legs. Once widespread over New Zealand, only the population in Fiordland remains, and these are threatened by the introduced deer that alter their habitat. Fiordland was also once the last refuge of the kakapo, a large, flightless parrot. But they have all been transferred to predator-free islands and are undergoing intensive captive-breeding efforts. Fiordland crested penguins nest on shore in loose colonies as dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, and New Zealand sea lions hunt for food in the fiords.

Cause for Concern

Most of this ecoregion is protected as a national park, which has since been designated a World Heritage Area. A variety of introduced species are found in Fiordland, including the stoat and brush-tailed possum, which prey on native wildlife and harm vegetation. Lobsters are currently harvested but the once-common whaling and hunting of fur seals have been halted.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.