Department of Conservation

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Department of Conservation
Māori : Te Papa Atawhai
Department of Conservation
Jurisdiction natural reserve
legal form Public Service Department
Legal basis Conservation Act 1987
Headquarters Wellington
Establishment date April 1, 1987
minister Eugenie Sage , Green Party
since October 26, 2017
Employee 1 952
Status: 2014
budget NZ $ 392.901 million
as of June 30, 2017
Website : www.doc.govt.nz
The DOC logo (here at the entrance to the Fiordland National Park)

The Department of Conservation (DOC), in Māori Te Papa Atawhai , is a Public Service Department in New Zealand that is responsible for nature conservation in the country.

history

In the reform climate of the Labor government of the 1980s, the creation of an authority under which the entire nature conservation of the country was to be pooled became apparent as early as 1984. The New Zealand Forest Service was responsible for the protection of the forest and the Department of Lands and Survey for the protection of the land and the national parks , the latter with the simultaneous task of developing land for specific uses. This conflict of goals and the campaign of various New Zealand NGOs such as Forest & Bird , Native Forests Action Council , Friends of the Earth , Maruia Society and others to adequately protect the so-called Lowland Podocarp Forest nationwide, had an impact on the annual national conference of the Labor Party in 1985 in Christchurch .

On April 1, 1987, the Department of Conservation was established by the Labor government under Prime Minister David Lange . The basis was the previously passed Conservation Act 1987 (Act), which took over parts of the tasks of the New Zealand Forest Service , the Department of Lands and Survey and the archeology section of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust . The New Zealand Wildlife Service has been fully integrated into the DOC. Over 1100 permanent employees and over 700 part-time workers were withdrawn from the other authorities across the country and integrated into the new department . The first minister responsible was Russell Marshall, followed by Helen Clark , who later became Prime Minister of the country.

Paragraph 4 of the Conservation Act 1987 stipulated, among other things, that the Treaty of Waitangi must be taken into account in all decisions of the DOC. This made it clear that the concerns of the Māori had to be considered in all decisions regarding land matters.

Between 1993 and 1994 the DOC changed its logos and switched to billboards with a white logo, yellow letters and bars on a green background.

Cave Creek disaster

The DOC experienced a "black day" on April 28, 1995, when a viewing platform in Paparoa National Park loosened from its anchorage and pulled 18 people 30 meters into the depth of Cave Creek. 14 of them died and some of the others were seriously injured. After the accident, more than 520 constructions of the DOC were inspected for their safety and 65 of them were temporarily closed for repair work. Investigations into the incident led to the root causes of the disaster. The primacy of cost reduction from the point of view of economic efficiency and the reduction of staff, while at the same time increasing tasks and requirements, had simply overwhelmed the organization of the West Coast Conservancy (supervisory authority).

So led u. a. the facts that

  • the construction of the viewing platform was not designed for the weight of 18 people,
  • only one engineer was available for the DOC on the southern island and was not consulted for the construction of the viewing platform,
  • no qualified carpenter was present during construction,
  • legal regulations and guidelines were not conveyed to employees,
  • inadequate inspections have been carried out by qualified personnel,
  • Inadequate warning signs regarding the maximum number of people allowed on the platform were attached,
  • Inadequate communication structures existed between management and on-site staff,

in their interaction to the catastrophe.

Recognizing the identified deficiencies, around 20,000 other DOC facilities were inspected a little later in a period of just three months, over 12,500 km of hiking trails were inventoried and eight engineers were hired to develop safety standards and revise or redevelop designs over a period of three years. In the years 1998 to 2000 additional funds were made available to further develop the infrastructure managed by the DOC for the public.

Responsibilities and duties

The Department of Conservation was awarded the Conservation Act 1987 transferred by law to the task of promoting the preservation of natural and historical heritage of New Zealand on behalf of present and future generations.

In addition to the Conservation Act 1987 , the duties of the DOC are also defined in the National Parks Act 1980 , the Marine Reserves Act 1971 , the Reserves Act 1977 , the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 , the Wildlife Act 1953 and the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 .

The main tasks in detail are:

  • To protect land, water and historical places from the point of view of nature conservation.
  • Provide, develop and maintain hiking trails, bicycle paths, 4WD trails, huts, campsites, visitor centers, access to historical places and other facilities for those seeking relaxation in areas subject to nature conservation .
  • Granting tourism companies or activities of third parties usage permits in nature reserves, as well as granting usage rights for locations for telecommunication purposes.
  • To protect marine mammals and habitats of freshwater fish, as well as to preserve the population of protected animals and to regulate the domestic inland fisheries and recreational inland fisheries.
  • In general, advocating for the conservation of natural and historical resources, providing information on nature conservation, implementing international agreements and environmental management in New Zealand.
  • To support the Minister for Nature Conservation in his responsibility under the Resource Management Act 1991 for the coastal and marine environment.
  • To advise the Minister for Nature Conservation in matters of nature conservation strategies and nature conservation law, and to accompany the government's legislative processes.


DOC data

As of 2015, the DOC is divided into eleven different regions, each with its own offices. It maintains and manages:

  • 8.5 million hectares of land of historic places,
  • 14 National Parks (NP),
  • 18 Conservation Parks (CP),
  • 15 Forest Parks (FP),
  • 33 marine protected areas with an area of ​​almost 1.28 million hectares,
  • 6 protected areas for marine mammals with a total area of ​​around 2.4 million hectares,
  • over 950 huts of all kinds,
  • over 250 so-called conservation campsites that can be reached by motor vehicle,
  • 9 Great Walks , hiking trails in a particularly attractive landscape with tours lasting several days,
  • another 14 short and 5 day hiking trails of particular importance, and
  • other countless kilometers of hiking trails ( New Zealand's trails ).

literature

  • Annual Report . Department of Conservation , June 30, 2017, ISSN  1176-7324 (English, online [PDF; 4.2 MB ; accessed on July 28, 2018]).
  • Statement of Intent 2012–2017 . Department of Conservation , 2012, ISSN  1175-5601 (English, online [PDF; 1,3 MB ; accessed on December 28, 2015]).

Web links

  • Homepage . Department of Conservation,accessed July 28, 2012.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Minister of Conservation . Department of Conservation , accessed July 28, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Organizational capability . Department of Conservation , accessed July 28, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Annual Report . Department of Conservation , 2017, p.  63 .
  4. ↑ a b Conservation Act 1987 . Parliamentary Counsel Office , accessed July 30, 2012 .
  5. ^ A short history of the Department of Conservation: 1987-2007 - Born with a mission . Department of Conservation , accessed December 28, 2015 .
  6. ^ A short history of the Department of Conservation: 1987-2007 - A new image . Department of Conservation , accessed December 28, 2015 .
  7. ^ New Zealand Disasters - Cave Creek . Christchurch City Libraries , accessed July 30, 2012 .
  8. ↑ a b A short history of the Department of Conservation: 1987-2007 - Cave Creek and afterwards . Department of Conservation , accessed December 28, 2015 .
  9. ^ A b Keith Dewar : The Cave Creek Tragedy: Of Cutbacks, Budgets, and Management . In: The George Wright Society (Ed.): The George Wright FORUM . Volume 14, Number 2 . Hancock, USA 1997, p.  54-62 (English).
  10. ↑ a b Department of Conservation (Ed.): Statement of Intent 2012–2017 . 2012, ISSN 1175-5601 , p.   8 (English).
  11. ↑ a b c Statement of Intent 2012-2017 - 1. The nature and scope of the Department of Conservation's functions . Department of Conservation , accessed April 6, 2018 .
  12. ↑ National parks . Department of Conservation , accessed December 28, 2015 .
  13. ↑ a b Map of Conservation Land . Department of Conservation , archived from the original on November 10, 2012 ; accessed on December 28, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
  14. ↑ Backcountry hats by region . Department of Conservation , accessed December 28, 2015 .
  15. ^ Department of Conservation (DOC) and Regional Park Campsites . Wilderness Motorhomes , accessed July 30, 2012 .
  16. ↑ Great Walks . Department of Conservation , accessed April 6, 2018 .
  17. ↑ Walking and tramping . Department of Conservation , accessed April 6, 2018 .