Conservation

Last updated: September 2008

New Zealand’s natural environment motivates many visitors to visit New Zealand and the Conservation Estate hosts them while they are here.

The Conservation Estate comprises 14 national parks and more than five million hectares - a third of New Zealand is protected in parks and reserves.

Over half of all international tourists visit conservation lands during their time in New Zealand, whether to have a picnic, drive to Milford Sound, take a short walk or go tramping.

The Ministry works closely with the Department of Conservation on issues relevant to both tourism and conservation.

Current projects include:

Developing quality standards for concessionaires
Accessibility issues in tourism
Aligning tourism and conservation research and data collection

Government Initiatives in Tourism and Conservation

Investment in recreational facilities

Investment in the upgrade of recreational facilities on conservation lands to accommodate growing visitor numbers, lessening their impacts on the natural environment.

Interpretation resource for concessionaires

An interpretation resource manual is available for concessionaires which includes detailed information on New Zealand’s natural and cultural environment. The manual is designed to help raise awareness, and increase the appreciation and understanding of New Zealand’s flora, fauna, culture and heritage by our visitors.

Tourism on Conservation Lands Forum

The Tourism on Conservation Lands Forum has fostered a strong working partnership approach to the management of tourism activities on conservation lands. Its members include government agencies, industry representatives and non-government agencies. Significant projects have included the development of an interpretative resource for tourism operators, an Eco-Wise Travellers Guide for visitors, and a national tourism Waste Working Group.

Visitor Impact Monitoring Toolkit

A Visitor Impact Monitoring Toolkit to allow conservation staff and tourism concessionaires to monitor a range of visitor and concession related impacts. The tools allow impacts such as the effect of aircraft over-flights, tracks changes, and crowding at given locations to be monitored.