The Department of Conservation (In Māori, Te Papa Atawhai), commonly known by its acronym, "DOC", is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. New Zealand's Minister of Conservation is the Hon. Chris Carter. Māori (or Maori) is a language spoken by the native peoples of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. ... State sector organisations in New Zealand (as at January 2004) are as follows: Parliamentary Offices Office of the Controller and Auditor-General (Tumuaki o te Mana Arotake) Office of the Ombudsmen (Nga Kaitiaki Mana Tangata) Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (Te Kaitiaki Taiao a Te Whare Pāremata... Conservation may refer to the following: Conservation ethic in relation to preserving ecosystems Conservationist Conservation movement Conservation ecology Conservation law of physics Conservation of energy Conservation of mass Conservation in genetics Conservation in psychology Prolonging the material integrity of cultural and artistic objects Art conservation Architectural conservation or immovable object... Heritage can refer to: Inheritance Kinship and descent This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Christopher Joseph Carter is a New Zealand politician and a member of Cabinet. ...

Image File history File links The logo of New Zealands Department of Conservation. ...

History

The department was formed in 1987, when the Conservation Act was passed to integrate the Department of Lands and Survey, the Forest Service and the Wildlife Service. This Act also set out the majority of the Department's responsibilities and roles. A significant event in the departments history was the 1997 Cave Creek disaster, although it should be noted that this was an isolated incident and within New Zealand the department is widely recognised to be an effective, professional organisation. 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Zealand Forest Service was abolished in 1987. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cave Creek disaster was an event in New Zealand in which a scenic viewing platform collapsed, killing fourteen people. ...

Responsibilities

DOC administers most of the Crown land in New Zealand. This is almost a third of New Zealand's land area, including national, forest and maritime parks, marine reserves, nearly 4000 reserves, river margins, some coastline, several hundred wetlands, and many offshore islands. Most of the land under its control is protected for either scenic, scientific, historic or cultural reasons, or set aside for recreation. In the United Kingdom and its predecessors, Crown land is designated land belonging to the Crown, the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it. ... Theatrical scenery is things that are used as setting for a theatrical production. ... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... History is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in geologic history of the Earth. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. ... The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). ...

In addition to its work managing land in New Zealand, DOC works to preserve its natural heritage. This includes saving native threatened species, managing threats like pests and weeds, environmental restoration, caring for marine life, and assisting landowners to effectively preserve natural heritage. It also looks after historic sites on public conservation land. Heritage can refer to: Inheritance Kinship and descent This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Pest control refers to the regulation or management of another species defined as a pest, usually because it is detrimental to a persons health, the ecology or the economy. ... Weed control, a botanical component of pest control, stops weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth when they could be harmful to domesticated plants, sometimes livestocks, by using manual techniques including soil cultivation, mulching and herbicides. ... Environmental restoration is a term common in the citizens’ environmental movement. ... Marine is an umbrella term for things relating to the ocean, as with Marine biology, Marine geology, and as a term for a navy, etc. ...

Providing for recreation is a major part of its core work, and this covers anything from managing family picnic sites to maintaining rugged backcountry tracks. DOC also administers the Nature Heritage Fund, and is responsible for rural fire control. The Nature Heritage Fund is a New Zealand Government funding body set up in 1990 for the purchase of land which has significant ecological or landscape features. ... A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. ...

External links

• New Zealand Department of Conservation
• Online biography of Minister Chris Carter

See also

• Conservation in New Zealand
• Invasive species in New Zealand
• Biodiversity of New Zealand