Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands
Encyclopedia
The Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands are an ecoregion
of South Island
, New Zealand
.
that form the spine of South Island, in the regions of Canterbury and Otago. The area includes the Canterbury Plains
along the coast, uplands such as the mountains of Central Otago
and the Hawkdun Range and mountain basins such as the Mackenzie Basin
and the Maniototo
. The grasslands altogether form the largest flat plain of New Zealand and are largely used for grazing livestock. Less rain falls on this eastern side of the Southern Alps so the climate is dry with a warm summer and cold winter, with the highland basins being the driest of all (less than 500mm per year). The upland areas of Canterbury, such as the Craigieburn
are higher and wetter than those of Old Man Range and the other flat-topped blocks of Otago, which are colder and often covered in wet bogs. A number of rivers including the Rangitata
, Rakaia
, Ashburton and Waimakariri
cross the Canterbury Plains in a unique web of braids that weave in and out of each other. The rivers of Otago are deeper and include New Zealand's largest, the Clutha River
.
tussocks plus heath of Chionohebe and spiky Aciphylla
plus some threatened plant species including the shrub Hebe cupressoides, a daisy (Olearia hectori
), and some Peraxilla
mistletoe
s. In some places there are patches of original or replanted beech
forest. Finally plants of the Canterbury riverine areas include lichens, Raoulia
daisies, willowherbs, and shrubs like Muehlenbeckia
.
s, moths, and weta
(a kind of large grasshopper). One particular insect is the Prodontria lewisi
which only remains in a small area of sand dunes around Cromwell
. Endemic reptiles include two rare lizards, the Otago skink
(Oligosoma otagense) and the Grand skink
(Oligosoma grande). The Canterbury riverbeds are an important habitat for invertebrates such as McCann's Skink (Oligosoma
maccanni), and especially birds such as the very rare Black Stilt
(Himantopus novazelandiae) which remains only in wetlands of the Waitaki River
system. Another endemic species of the Canterbury plains is the Canterbury mudfish
(Neochanna burrowsius) which has adapted to burying itself in the mud of riverbeds during the dry season. Finally the Otago Peninsula
is an important breeding ground for New Zealand fur seal
(Arctocephalus forsteri) and New Zealand Sea Lion
(Phocarctos hookeri).
broom
and sweet briar
while hawkweed
and other weeds can more easily establish themselves when land is overgrazed. Introduced species
of animals that cause damage including possum
s, goats, Red-necked Wallaby
, and red deer
along with predators such as cats, rats, stoats and ferrets. Protection of the tussock grassland is an ongoing concern and a project of the Department of Conservation working with local communities to establish protected areas and restrict grazing. A number of areas have already been set aside and formal protection is being established in Rock and Pillar Range
, Lammermoor Range, Old Man Range, Old Woman Range, Pisa Range and The Remarkables. However these are all upland areas and the original habitats of the lowlands are in a much more precarious state having almost entirely disappeared. Separate initiatives have been set up to preserve habitats in the Canterbury lowland riverbeds and their endangered Black Stilt population.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Location and description
This ecoregion is a large area of dry grassy plains between the east coast and the Southern AlpsSouthern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...
that form the spine of South Island, in the regions of Canterbury and Otago. The area includes the Canterbury Plains
Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains are an area in New Zealand centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki...
along the coast, uplands such as the mountains of Central Otago
Central Otago
Central Otago is the inland part of the New Zealand region of Otago in the South Island. The area commonly known as Central Otago includes both the Central Otago District and the Queenstown-Lakes District to the west....
and the Hawkdun Range and mountain basins such as the Mackenzie Basin
Mackenzie Basin
The Mackenzie Basin , is an elliptical intermontane basin, located in the Mackenzie and Waitaki Districts, near the centre of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest such basin in New Zealand...
and the Maniototo
Maniototo
The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to the north and the Rock and Pillar Range to the southeast...
. The grasslands altogether form the largest flat plain of New Zealand and are largely used for grazing livestock. Less rain falls on this eastern side of the Southern Alps so the climate is dry with a warm summer and cold winter, with the highland basins being the driest of all (less than 500mm per year). The upland areas of Canterbury, such as the Craigieburn
Craigieburn, New Zealand
Craigieburn is the name of several geographic features in northwest Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.The Craigieburn Range of mountains is located on the south banks of the Waimakariri River, south of Arthur's Pass. The Craigieburn Valley ski area is world renowned, and it located on its...
are higher and wetter than those of Old Man Range and the other flat-topped blocks of Otago, which are colder and often covered in wet bogs. A number of rivers including the Rangitata
Rangitata River
The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for 120 kilometres from the Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometres northeast of Timaru...
, Rakaia
Rakaia River
The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand...
, Ashburton and Waimakariri
Waimakariri River
The Waimakariri River is the largest of the North Canterbury rivers, in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows for 151 kilometres in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean....
cross the Canterbury Plains in a unique web of braids that weave in and out of each other. The rivers of Otago are deeper and include New Zealand's largest, the Clutha River
Clutha River
The Clutha River / Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand flowing south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of ,...
.
Flora
There are few endemic plants on these grassy plains. While there was probably once forest the plains are now special in New Zealand as a large area of pasture almost entirely covered with grasses that are resilient to drought and the constant threat of fire. The endemic tussock grasses such as slim snow tussock have now been replaced by introduced pasture grasses in many areas. Some upland areas have a cover of ChionochloaChionochloa
Chionochloa is a genus of tussock grass in the Poaceae family, containing mainly species of grass endemic to New Zealand such as snow tussock , red tussock and hunangamoho...
tussocks plus heath of Chionohebe and spiky Aciphylla
Aciphylla
Aciphylla is a genus of about 40 species of plants in the Apiaceae family, endemic to New Zealand and Australia. They generally grow as tall spikes surrounded by rosettes of stiff, pointed leaves....
plus some threatened plant species including the shrub Hebe cupressoides, a daisy (Olearia hectori
Olearia hectori
Olearia hectori is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in New Zealand.Olearia hectorii, also known as Hectors tree daisy, is one of the most threatened of New Zealand's eight olearia species, all of which are part of a national recovery plan.Olearia hectorii or...
), and some Peraxilla
Peraxilla
Peraxilla is genus of two showy mistletoe species from New Zealand. It contains the two species Peraxilla colensoi and Peraxilla tetrapetala....
mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
s. In some places there are patches of original or replanted beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
forest. Finally plants of the Canterbury riverine areas include lichens, Raoulia
Raoulia
Raoulia is a genus of flowering alpine plants in the daisy family that exhibit very fine and dense growths. These compact growths form large amorphous cushion-like masses with only the growing tips visible. Due to their shape and form, the plant clusters resembles sheep from afar, this giving them...
daisies, willowherbs, and shrubs like Muehlenbeckia
Muehlenbeckia
Muehlenbeckia or the Maidenhair genus is native to the southern hemisphere, especially South America, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand and has been introduced both by birds and cultivation to temperate locales north of the equator. Some are tiny alpine mat-forming plants whereas others...
.
Fauna
The dry grasslands are home to a large number of insects including beetles, grasshoppers, cicadaCicada
A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...
s, moths, and weta
Weta
Weta is the name given to about 70 insect species endemic to New Zealand. There are many similar species around the world, though most are in the southern hemisphere. The name comes from the Māori word 'wētā' and is the same in the plural...
(a kind of large grasshopper). One particular insect is the Prodontria lewisi
Prodontria lewisi
Prodontria lewisi is a species of beetle in family Scarabaeidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.-Description:...
which only remains in a small area of sand dunes around Cromwell
Cromwell, New Zealand
Cromwell is a town in Central Otago in the Otago region of New Zealand.It is situated between State Highway 6 and State Highway 8 leading to the Lindis Pass, 75 km northeast, and Alexandra, 33 km south. The road to Alexandra winds through the Cromwell Gorge...
. Endemic reptiles include two rare lizards, the Otago skink
Otago skink
The Otago skink, Oligosoma otagense, is an endangered species of large skink of the family Scincidae, found in the central Otago region of New Zealand.-Physical characteristics:...
(Oligosoma otagense) and the Grand skink
Grand skink
The grand skink, Oligosoma grande, is an endangered species of large skink endemic to the central Otago region of New Zealand.- Physical characteristics :...
(Oligosoma grande). The Canterbury riverbeds are an important habitat for invertebrates such as McCann's Skink (Oligosoma
Oligosoma
Oligosoma is a genus of small to medium-sized skinks . It is found only in New Zealand and in the Norfolk and Lord Howe groups...
maccanni), and especially birds such as the very rare Black Stilt
Black Stilt
The Black Stilt or Kakī , Himantopus novaezelandiae, is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. The species is endemic to New Zealand. Adults are 40 cm long. They have very long red legs, a long thin black bill and black plumage...
(Himantopus novazelandiae) which remains only in wetlands of the Waitaki River
Waitaki River
The Waitaki River is a large river in the South Island of New Zealand, some 110 km long. It is the major river of the Mackenzie Basin.It is a braided river which flows through Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki. These are ultimately fed by three large glacial lakes, Pukaki, Tekapo,...
system. Another endemic species of the Canterbury plains is the Canterbury mudfish
Canterbury mudfish
The Canterbury mudfish, Neochanna burrowsius, also known as the kowaro, is a galaxiid of the genus Neochanna, found only across the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand. The first Canterbury mudfish was originally described by W J Phillipps in 1926, from a sample sent to him by A. Burrows, from the...
(Neochanna burrowsius) which has adapted to burying itself in the mud of riverbeds during the dry season. Finally the Otago Peninsula
Otago Peninsula
The Otago Peninsula is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies south-east of Otago Harbour and runs parallel to the mainland for...
is an important breeding ground for New Zealand fur seal
New Zealand Fur Seal
The Australian fur seal , or New Zealand fur seal or southern fur seal, is a species of fur seal found around the south coast of Australia, the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there...
(Arctocephalus forsteri) and New Zealand Sea Lion
New Zealand Sea Lion
The New Zealand Sea Lion also known as Hooker's Sea Lion or Whakahao in Māori is a species of sea lion that breeds around the coast of New Zealand's South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura to some extent, and to a greater extent around the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands, especially the Auckland...
(Phocarctos hookeri).
Threats and preservation
These grasslands are now mostly utilised as pasture with overgrazing, increased occurrence of fire and urban development all causing damage, while waterways are subject to alteration. Original wildlife has also been damaged by introduced plants including lodgepole pineLodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
broom
Broom (shrub)
Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in many other small genera . All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae...
and sweet briar
Sweet briar
Sweet briar can refer to:*The sweet briar rose, Rosa rubiginosa*The unincorporated community of Sweet Briar, Virginia*Sweet Briar College, a liberal arts women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, United States...
while hawkweed
Hawkweed
Hawkweed refers to any species in the very large genus Hieracium and its segregate genus Pilosella, in the sunflower family ....
and other weeds can more easily establish themselves when land is overgrazed. Introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of animals that cause damage including possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s, goats, Red-necked Wallaby
Red-necked Wallaby
The Red-necked Wallaby is a medium-sized marsupial macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.- Description :...
, and red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
along with predators such as cats, rats, stoats and ferrets. Protection of the tussock grassland is an ongoing concern and a project of the Department of Conservation working with local communities to establish protected areas and restrict grazing. A number of areas have already been set aside and formal protection is being established in Rock and Pillar Range
Rock and Pillar Range
The Rock and Pillar Range of high hills is located in the Maniototo, an area of inland Otago, New Zealand. They are surrounded by the Taieri River, which has its source in the range, flowing out across the scroll plain at Paerau, before almost doubling back on itself at Waipiata and flowing back...
, Lammermoor Range, Old Man Range, Old Woman Range, Pisa Range and The Remarkables. However these are all upland areas and the original habitats of the lowlands are in a much more precarious state having almost entirely disappeared. Separate initiatives have been set up to preserve habitats in the Canterbury lowland riverbeds and their endangered Black Stilt population.