Westland temperate forests
Lake Matheson in Westland Tai Poutini National Park
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm	Australasian
Biome	temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Borders	Fiordland temperate forests Nelson Coast temperate forests, Southland montane grasslands
Geography
Area	5,136 km2 (1,983 sq mi)
Country	New Zealand
Regions	West Coast
Coordinates	43°42′S 169°27′E / 43.7°S 169.45°E / -43.7; 169.45
Conservation
Protected	4,311 km² (84%)[1]

The Westland temperate forests, also known as the Westland temperate rainforests, is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion located along the central west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, also known as Te Waipounamu. These forests are found in the region of the Westland District, which spans approximately 11,880 square kilometers. It is bounded on the west by the Tasman Sea, and on the east by the Southern Alps. Much of this area is protected by the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Geography

New Zealand comprises two separate islands located in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the North Island and the South Island. The Westland forests are located along the central west coast portion of the South Island. South of these forests lay the Fiordland temperate forests. Many glaciers are located in the Westland area. The Southern Alps run along the coast causing orographic lifting and high precipitation.^[2]

Large portions of New Zealand have been protected for conservation purposes, especially in this region. This area has high biodiversity of plants and animals. Due to its remote location New Zealand was one of the last areas to be colonized and was primarily inhabited by the Māori until Europeans arrived in the 1600s.^[2]

Climate

New Zealand is entirely in the temperate zone.^[7] The Westland forests receive high amounts of precipitation, reaching approximately 3,000 millimeters annually on the coast, about 4,700 millimeters at the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, and exceeding 11,000 millimeters on the mountains where precipitation generally arrives in the form of snowfall.^[2] It is due to the mountain ranges and orographic lifting that the Westland area sees so much precipitation. Westland’s coastal location means that its weather is more moderate than areas further inland. Much of the weather is caused by eastward-moving anticyclones. Summer temperatures average around 20 °C with highs around 30 °C. Snow is rare in the lowland areas but prominent at higher elevations, especially around local glaciers.^[2]

Ecology

History

Māori occupied the Westland coastal area for several centuries before Europeans began to colonize New Zealand. Māori refer to West Coast, New Zealand as Te Tai Poutini. Population numbers probably never reached very high, no more than several hundred people probably lived in the area at any given time. Their settlements consisted mostly of small villages on the coast. Food sources were abundant in this area. Seafood was especially important to the Māori who smoked eels and seafish, dried whitebait, and often collected seaweed and mussels. Other local food sources included birds such as duck and pigeon. Stone working was also common among the Māori who had access to greenstone, a nephrite jade that was most often gathered near the Arahura River but was also collected from areas much farther away, including the Haast River and Lake Wakatipu.^[2]

Europeans first encountered Westland in 1642 when Dutch navigator Abel Janzoon Tasman first sighted mountain peaks from his ship. In 1770 Captain James Cook circumnavigated New Zealand and also observed the mountains lining the coast. Glaciers were first spotted in 1859 by the sailors on the Mary Louisa. Increased interest in the area began in the mid-1800s when the New Zealand Company began exploring the Westland region in hope of good land for settlement. Over time, various explorers including Charles Heaphy, Thomas Brunner, James McKay, and Julius von Haast, traversed the Westland area, often with Māori guides to lead them. In 1860 James McKay, employed by the local colonial government, managed to purchase a large portion of the west coast of New Zealand from the Māori for the price of 300 pounds. Four years later, in 1864, the desire for gold led thousands of miners to New Zealand. By the early 1900s the height of search for gold had passed, but the residual negative effects of the search for gold remained.^[2]

In 1961, Westland Tai Poutini National Park was established, and in 1982 the decision was made to add South Ōkārito and South Waikukupa, as well as portions of the Karangarua forests, into the national park. This addition took place in light of a new National Parks Act that was helpful for determining the importance of preserving these areas.^[2]

Disturbances

Human activity has been one of the major disturbances in the New Zealand Westland rainforest. At one point the Māori used to set intentional fires that affected the forests growing on the South Island. This greatly altered the landscape, and much of the forest along the east side of the South Island was replaced by grasslands.^[9]

Both fires and logging have been major disturbances in the Westland forest area. Currently there is no logging going on in native forested areas of New Zealand. Much of the temperate rainforest found in Westland New Zealand has been dedicated to conservation purposes.^[7]

Some of the stands that feature rata-kamahi have trouble with die-back caused in part by opossums that like to find shelter within older trees (around 300 years), especially ones that grow on fertile ground.^[7]

Changes in climate may affect Westland temperate rainforests in the future. There is a chance that increased frequencies of droughts may instigate increased risk of fire, causing potential for replacement of current rainforest vegetation with fire-adapted plants.^[7]

Conservation

Large portions of New Zealand have been placed under protection for conservation purposes. 82% of the ecoregion's land area is in protected areas.^[4] Westland Tai Poutini National Park covers approximately 20,000 acres or about 81 square kilometers, about 25% of which is glaciers and snowfields.^[6] Other protected areas which cover portions of the ecoregion include Fiordland National Park, Mount Aspiring National Park, and Waitangiroto Nature Reserve.^[4]

Recreation

The Westland National Park features many opportunities for recreation including walking and hiking, fishing, skiing, boating, and taking tours around and on the local glaciers.^[2] There are many trails that can be explored that take you to various lakes, streams, rivers, and bluffs.^[10]

References