Secretary Island
Secretary Island's eastern end
|
|
Location of Secretary Island
|
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°15′S 166°55′E / 45.250°S 166.917°E |
| Area | 81.4 km2 (31.4 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,196 m (3,924 ft) |
| Highest point | Mt Grono |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Secretary Island is an island in southwestern New Zealand, lying entirely within Fiordland National Park. Roughly triangular in shape, it lies between Doubtful Sound in the south and Thompson Sound in the north, with its west coast facing the Tasman Sea. To the east of the island, Pendulo Reach connects Thompson Sound with Doubtful Sound. Steeply sloped, the entirely bush-clad island rises to nearly 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) with a chain of several peaks higher than 1000 metres, making it the third tallest island in New Zealand after the two main islands. The island also contains three lakes. The largest, Secretary Lake, over 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, is located beneath Mt Grono at an altitude of 550 metres (1,800 ft).
The island is uninhabited, and covers 81.4 km2 (31 sq mi) of predominantly steep terrain almost entirely covered in dense native beech-podocarp forest, including plants such as mistletoes and mountain lancewood, which have been decimated elsewhere by the browsing of possums.
Its isolation and size make Secretary Island one of the most important islands in New Zealand for the conservation efforts of vulnerable native species. The island was never inhabited by possums or rodents, and by 2007, deer and stoat were eradicated as well, making it the largest completely pest-free island in New Zealand.
With the removal of deer, the complete native ecosystem is thriving, with plants from ground covers through to trees supporting a healthy population of native animals from insects and spiders to native birds. Transferred populations of endangered birds in particular have been recovering thanks to the absence of rats and mice.
Between 2004 and 2008, the New Zealand Department of Conservation engaged in a project to eradicate pests from the island, in order to help protect native species found on the island. This was the largest Fiordland island targeted to achieve pest-free status, with the project aiming to eradicate deer and stoat, the only remaining animal pests present on Secretary Island at the time.
The deer population on Secretary Island was estimated at more than 700 as recently as 2006, before the eradication project reduced their numbers to a handful of deer that have still evaded capture. The removal of deer contributes significantly to the regeneration of native plants, which in turn helps support the endangered native species on the island as part of the natural process of restoration of the island's ecosystem.
...
Wikipedia