Critically endangered bats under threat as New Zealand power plant gets green light

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED: The long-tailed bat

Long-tailed bats as endangered as kakapo

May 2011: Fears for the future of New Zealand's critically endangered long-tailed bats have increased with the granting of preliminary approval for building a hydro-electric power plant.

Conservation organisation Forest & Bird are worried for the future of the bats that live beside Lake Matiri, near Murchison, South Island, which has been earmarked by the New Zealand government and New Zealand Energy as a site for the power plant.

‘South Island long-tailed bats are as endangered as kakapo,' Forest & Bird Top of the South Field Officer Debs Martin says. ‘These special bats live beside Lake Matiri, and we should be doing all we can to protect them and their habitat. We should not allow a hydro scheme on the lake while there is still so much we don't know about bats.'

Disturbing bats' perfect lakeside home
Recent Forest & Bird surveys found the bats in the forest beside the lake. The area is perfect for them, with large open freshwater areas where they forage for insects, and red beech trees where they roost.

If the hydro scheme went ahead, tall trees would be removed for the development, and the bats' feeding areas would be disturbed.

But now the Department of Conservation has granted a concession for the New Zealand Energy Ltd hydro scheme to go ahead on conservation land at Lake Matiri, which is bounded by Kahurangi National Park.

LAKE MATIRI: The site of the proposed hydro-electric power plant

Lake Matiri is a wildlife refuge
Other native animals would be harmed, too, including native fish and longfin eels. ‘A hydro scheme would block some of Lake Matiri's outlets and the lake level would fluctuate,' Debs Martin says.

‘This would hinder the migration of longfin eels travelling between the sea and the lake, which they need to do as part of their natural life cycle.

‘Lake Matiri is a wildlife refuge and a completely inappropriate place for a hydro scheme.

‘Forest & Bird is concerned that this decision fails to recognise the importance of this southern entrance to Kahurangi National Park. The concession provides for a small financial mitigation package - none of which is targeted towards protecting the bats. The decision contradicts our legislation because it does not constitute any net conservation gain to this lake and its wildlife.

‘This decision flies in the face of all the work that needs to be done to protect the critically endangered long-tailed bat, our wild rivers and our public conservation land. We are considering our next step to protect these bats.'