Conservation status of New Zealand marine mammals (suborders Cetacea and Pinnipedia), 2009 |
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Authors: | CS Baker BL Chilvers R Constantine S DuFresne RH Mattlin A van Helden |
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Institution: | 1. School of Biological Sciences , The University of Auckland , Auckland, New Zealand;2. Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center , Oregon State University , Newport, USA scott.baker@oregonstate.edu;4. Research and Development Group, Department of Conservation , Wellington, New Zealand;5. School of Biological Sciences , The University of Auckland , Auckland, New Zealand;6. Sea Mammal Research Unit Ltd , New Technology Centre , North Haugh, St Andrews, Fife, UK;7. Marine Wildlife Research, Ltd , Richmond, Nelson, New Zealand;8. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa , Wellington, New Zealand |
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Abstract: | The conservation status of New Zealand (NZ) marine mammals (suborders Cetacea and Pinnipedia) is reappraised using the 2008 version of the NZ Threat Classification System. The list comprises 56 taxa (named species or subspecies, and as yet unnamed forms or types) in the following categories: Threatened—eight taxa (five Nationally Critical and three Nationally Endangered); Vagrant—six taxa; Migrant—20 taxa; and Data Deficient—13 taxa. A further nine taxa are listed as Not Threatened. Relative to the previous listing, the threat status of two species worsened: the NZ sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) was uplisted to Nationally Critical and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was uplisted to Nationally Endangered. No species was considered to have an improved status. With the uplisting of the NZ sea lion and the continued listing of the Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) as Endangered and Maui's dolphin (C. hectori maui) as Nationally Critical, all three endemic NZ marine mammals are now considered threatened with extinction. We considered future research or management actions that would allow the downlisting of the eight taxa currently listed as Threatened. |
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Keywords: | New Zealand threatened marine mammals pinniped cetacean conservation status |
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