"All aspects of human wellbeing are tied to the health of the world’s wetlands," OFG communications officer Bruce Quirey said.
"I think wetlands are the ugly duckling of the environment. They’re not easy to move in or manage so they’re often overlooked, but these are some of the most diverse habitats you can get."
This was the message of OFG’s World Wetlands Day walking tour, led by OFG chief executive Ian Hadland and Mr Quirey at Takitakitoa, about 40 minutes south of Dunedin, near Waihola, last Friday.
"People draw sustenance, inspiration and resilience from these productive ecosystems," Mr Quirey said.
"They’re a buffer to retain flood water and act like kidneys to catch nutrients that can end up causing algal blooms.
"They sequester carbon, they provide wild kai [and] spending time at wetlands is a great way to re-wild ourselves, reconnecting with nature."
Takitakitoa nudges the Taieri River and was once part of the Waihola and Waipori wetlands, which extended to Mosgiel until 20th century farmland projects drained it to about a third of its original size.
About 30 hectares of forest-flanked, failed farmland in the Takitakitoa valley was reflooded by Fish & Game in 2016, using a one-metre-high stop-bank.
As water rose to optimal levels, native flora quickly reclaimed the area from exotic plants including bulrushes, leading to a rapid increase in waterfowl numbers and diversity.
Takitakitoa now boasts sought-after sites for the gamebird season and provides a breeding haven for protected species at the same time.
Adults and children on Friday’s tour had an opportunity to examine eels and adult inanga (whitebait) before adding to more than 8000 native riparian plantings.
"Takitakitoa is an example of hunter-led conservation," Mr Quirey said.
"Restoration work continues every year, funded by Fish & Game licence fees and donations of native plants."
The value of wetlands was recognised internationally at the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in the Iranian town of Ramsar in 1971.
The Ramsar Convention is celebrated globally as World Wetlands Day on February 2 every year, and similar public tours are held throughout New Zealand.
