A Hydrologists Contribution to the Debate on Wild Animal Management
In the 1950s, increased erosion, flooding and sedimentation was widely observed in New Zealand. The ruling opinion then was that the forests prevented erosion and floods, and browsing mammals were primarily responsible for the increased erosion of mountain lands. It followed that effective control of browsing mammal populations was necessary to prevent erosion and alleviate lowland flooding and alluviation. In the 19608 evidence was found for much severe erosion on the Ruahines in the 1840s -long before browsing mammals were there.